I've Got My Spine
by FireChestnut
Summary: We've all got to find our inner strength somehow; whether it be saving the galaxy, or saving oneself. Eventual Samus X MC.
1. Water Shows the Hidden Heart

**AN-**

I'm re-vamping some chapters, mainly because my writing has really improved or the past year-and-a-half. The changes will be mild to moderate, so don't worry, no plot changes!

Chestnut~

Samus Aran was loosely modeled after Ellen Ripley from the Alien universe. Don't believe me? Look it up!

Rain clouds billowed above her in large grey masses. A rumble from the heavens sounded, and soon the rain began to pour. She wrapped her arms around her chest as she walked along the beaten path. The vibrant green foliage soon came to life as the rain pitter pattered against leaves and branches, releasing a pleasant aroma of fresh rain into her nostrils. A small stream gurgled happily along beside the path; her throat was dry and cracked. Kneeling down, she cupped her hand and sucked in the water. She took a few more handfuls until her thirst was quenched. The rain came down upon her even harder, falling in massive sheets of water. Her golden hair clung onto her skull for dear life as she continued onwardly. This was the third time this had happened; her ship was damaged, her suit was not working, and now she was stranded on some backwater planet while she searched for food. She grumbled as her stomach pleaded for nourishment. Sometimes she was thankful for the long walks she was forced to take, it gave her time to reflect on issues of her past, and to contemplate profound analogies she liked to keep locked in her brain. It was rather clarifying, especially when it was raining out. She shivered as a freezing sheet of water and wind blasted onto her body. The thunder worsened, it got so bad she had to cup her ears from the noise.

It felt like hours as she trudged along the soggy earth. No, it had only been fifteen minutes. A small looking deer of some sort dashed out in front of her, stopped, and dashed back into the woods. Damn, if she had seen it sooner she could have taken it out with her small emergency pistol. Hopefully more of the pitiful, delicious looking creatures would show up. She froze. Gun fire? Shit, maybe Space Pirates were in the area. It was a small posibility. She slowly walked behind a tree, peering out every now and then, her pistol raised. She crept from tree to tree, straining her ears. Voices--and they sounded human. She got closer, and soon she could hear some one talking in clear English.

"Chief, come on. There have been sightings of the Covenant on this planet," Covenant? What was the man talking about? "We need to make sure our weapons are calibrated." The mans voice sounded African American. Who was this 'Chief' person he was talking about?

"I'll know my weapons calibrated when I find a bullet hole in an Elite's forehead." The other man must have been 'Chief'. His voice was gruff, but polished by years of military training. It reminded her of Adam. Samus listened more, her body propped up against a moss covered tree.

"Where is the Arbiter?" The man known as 'Chief' asked.

"I don't know where he went. He said he was scouting the area, don't even think about making any smart ass remarks, Chief." Arbiter? This person must have been important. Although Samus couldn't see the two men talking, she could tell Chief was a soldier of some sort. She fiddled with her pistol before listening once more, unaware of the danger approaching. "Anyways, Cortana found a massive generator supplying power to an unknown Halo, deep underground." Halo? Gee, she sure picked the right planet to land on; just what were these two talking about?

"Where on the planet?" The man known as Chief asked.

"We are still trying to locate it's whereabouts, but it is like a second, smaller Ark. The third, unknown Halo is apparently the smaller of the other two, but it is the most important and coveted by the Covenant."

"Well Johnson, I think I'll go out looking for Arby. Hopefully he's close by." The other man was known as Johnson. Interesting. Shit, the man known as Chief was walking this way. Great, she was starving with a crappy emergency Federation pistol for protection, and she didn't know where this 'Arby' person was. Plus, 'Chief' was packing some heavy artilary. She could spot a pistol and large gun mounted on his back.

Samus was about to turn around when something grabbed her. She was about to yell out when a large hand cupped her mouth. A shimmering hand? Slowly, the hand began to materialize before her eyes. It was clawed. It held her in its arms; she struggled widely against its grip. Samus got a clear glimpse of its face. It had strange fleshy mandibles jutting out from its mouth. Its armor was intricate in design. This wasn't a Space Pirate, thank god. It lowered its head down her her level, picking up a piece of her of her hair with its mandible. It made a sound, which sounded a lot like the word 'wart'. Samus shivered as the alien's hands clamped around her arms. This was worse than the time when Ridley accidently flung her off a cliff during an air raid.

"Wart." Samus began to struggle now, but the alien was too strong for her. Then, something rather peculiar happened. Another one of the aliens stepped out from his shimmering wave of air. Instead of restraining her, the other Alien raised a gun, and shot the other through the head. Now she was getting scared. As the body fell limp, Samus had enough room to stand up once more. As if sensing her worry and confusion, the being spoke.

"Please, don't be alarmed. I am the Arbiter." His voice was deep, a hint of a growl could be heard,"please, come with me, I will do you no harm." All she could do was nod.

"Arby,There you--" Samus had no time to ponder had just happened as she was slammed into a tree. A man clad in green armor ground his body against hers, pinning her against the tree with incredible force. He jabbed a pistol under her head and pushed upward rather hard, forcing her jaw up. He was crushing her.

"Chief! No!" the Arbiter yelled out. He must have taken his word, for he released her. She fell to the ground in a heap. He disregarded her as she tried to catch her breath.

"An Elite almost made do with her, thankfully I was here." the Arbiter pointed to the dead corpse propped up against a tree, light blue blood trickling down its face.

"Typical woman for you." Samus could feel her blood boil. That son of a bitch was going down. Silently getting up on her feet, she reared up, and kicked him square in the back. He stumbled forward, obviously surprised at her outburst. This time, the odds were on him. She pinned her hand against his throat and backed him up against a tree.

"You have no idea who you're talking to," she growled.

He let out a snort.

"Clearly I don't."

"Chief...." The Arbiter was had a hint of warning in his voice.

Samus said nothing as she released him, and turned back to the Arbiter.

"I could really use some food."

The Arbiter nodded. The two walked off, leaving a very dazed John.

"Chief--she looks like she hasn't eaten for at least a day, the least you could is not act like a bastard." Chief was getting angrier by the minute.

"She looks like a ditzy blonde, and besides, it's not like she's saved the universe or anything." Cortana let out an irritated huff.

As the anger died down, a twang of regret pulled on her stomach. She was hoping Chief was someone she would be able to get to know.

"Don't be discouraged by Chief. He takes a while to warm up to new people, especially females. Come inside, I'll get you something to eat and you can tell me about yourself." Samus was staring to like this guy. He led her inside the small base camp, and into a small room. It looked like a standard military bedroom; small cot, plain walls, foot locker.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back shortly." Samus sat down on the cot and wrung her hair out. She let it out of its ponytail, and gave it a good shake. Tussling her hair with a free hand, she watched as he returned with a tray of food. Rice, chicken and carrots. She literally shoveled the hot meal into her mouth. A low rumble escaped the Arbiter as he watched her eat.

"I have never seen a human eat so much in one sitting!" She shoveled the last spoon full of food into her mouth and swallowed. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"So, you want to know about me?" Even though he was an alien, and he looked a lot like a space pirate, Samus felt like she could trust him. He sat down beside her, and soon her long tale began.

"--so, now I'm here." He looked stunned.

"I am amazed, you have accomplished so much!" A small smile appeared on her lips as she looked to him.

"I was hoping that I could get to know Chief, I am always so alone. The only real friend I have had are the Chozo and Adam--but I'm glad I got to know you." The Arbiter made a strange looking shape with his mandibles, which she figured to be a smile.

,

"I'll give you a maintenance drone to repair you ship. I think you should rest first, the rain sure is coming down hard." For the moment, all she could do was nod.

The hours passed like minutes, and soon sleep fell upon her. She couldn't help it. Images of the green behemoth kept crawling into her mind, but she tried as best she could she push the image away. She pulled the blanket over her head, dreams lulling her mind.

OooooooO

John slid Arby's door open slowly and peered inside. Good, he was asleep. The moonlit room casted eerie shadows around the small space . Something else was moving....could it be a Grunt perhaps? John lowered his large rifle to his hip and slowly crept along the floor. Slowly, he inched closer and closer to the moving object, his thoughts swirling as to what it could be, something nasty? Something horrible and gruesome? He crept closer. He was now five feet away from the 'thing'. Slowly, the thick grey blanket rose and fell in a steady motion. What ever it was, it was asleep. How could the Arbiter not tell that something was in his room? Closer and closer John crept.

Everything horrible that he could think of was running through his mind.

_A flood spore..._

He crept even closer, his hand squeezing the barrel of the gun.

_A Brute..._

He couldn't take the anxiety. Slowly, he lifted the blanket up with the gun, and nervously placed it to the side. He waited.....what? John looked down to the sleeping form under his feet. Long silvery hair wrapped around her body, as a curtain would do. Her fingers intertwined with one another, her legs near her chest. The moon light danced on her skin, casting eerie lights upon her pallor complexion. Where was his breath? Why couldn't he breathe? Something so simple, but yet so beautiful had taken his breath away.

John stood there, in what felt like an eternity. It was as if time itself had preserved the moment where her ribcage slowly expanded with air, only to release with a soft breath. John was thankful he left Cortana in the main computer console. She would sure chew him out if she was looking into his thoughts right now. The grey rays of light slowly penetrated through the window, it was early morning. He felt exhausted. He knew he wouldn't be able to make it back to his room with out collapsing. He slid down the door into a sitting position, and let sleep take over him.

OooooooO

The slow metal clank of something dropping on the floor awoke Samus. She slowly sat up, rubbing one eye as she did so. Great, another dream. Lucid? She crawled over the sleeping figure slouched over, propped up against the metal door like a rag doll. She made her way over to the giant green man. She had no idea on what she was doing, but it was a dream. Who cares....Why was she so nervous about approaching him?

_"Hmm, I don't know, maybe it was the gun under your through yesterday?" _She pressed a palm against his breast plate. It was cold to the touch. She studied his visor, and its strange design. Why was it polarized?She put a finger to the glass, admiring the cold feeling under her finger. She decided it would be best to go back to sleep, and not have his hand wrapped around her throat. She silently made her way back to the floor futon, and soon was asleep once more.

OooooooO

The Arbiter watched from the corner of his eye as the girl approached the sleeping John against the door. She was a curious creature. He watched in fascination as she pressed a hand to his chest, and then a finger to his visor. She seemed apprehensive at first. She must have been remembering yesterday's events, he thought, as she scurried back to the small floor mattress. He hadn't been expecting Chief to just randomly plop down on the floor and sleep. Maybe it would be best to wake her now. He slowly lumbered from the bed, and soon was hovering over the sleeping form cuddled into the soft blanket.

"Samus." He shook her arm gently. She slowly awoke.

"...yeah?"

"I think you should go and fix your ship now. I'll send some one to bring you food." She nodded. He handed her something round and silver.

"This is Guilty Spark. He will assist you in repairing your ship." Samus watched in awe as the sphere sprang to life and began to float around the room. As soon as the machine recognized the Arbiter.

"How may I assist you?"

"Please follow Samus here back to her ship to preform repairs." As his last word escaped his mouth, John slowly awoke, and rose. He left, without saying a word. The Arbiter watched with concern as Samus jumped slightly from the metal door slamming abruptly.

"Come on." He lead her out of his room and down the dimly lighted hallway. He stopped as they approached the exit leading to the outside. "Damn, its still raining." Samus watched as the Arbiter stood there, obviously thinking. "Form a bubble-shield, Guilty Spark, it's coming down too hard for my liking, let along a human's."

"Yes sir!" The enthusiastic machine made a sparkling shield over the woman. She said her thanks, and soon began to walk off into the cloud of rain.

Samus was thankful she was not getting drenched. After a thirty minute trek, she could see the shimmer of her ship nestled in a grove of trees and other leafy like structures. She shivered as the rain began to hammer down on her. Where was that flying robot? He hovered around her ship, his large blue eye picking up every nook and cranny of the craft.

"Yes, I see. It appears that your left thruster is damaged, as well as the left side of the hull." She let out a noise of acknowledgement, and watched as the metallic sphere began to weld and repair the ship. Samus realized this would be a good time to repair her Varia suit. Seeing as the ship's power was down, she would need to crawl in through the hole in the side of the hull. The machine known as "Guilty Spark" was currently busing itself with the thruster. She jumped up, landing on her stomach in the small hole. She slowly wriggled her body through until she fell into the cockpit. She made her way to the back of the ship, spotting the large figure of the Varia suit standing alone. This would be hard....She gripped the suit by the arm and placed it around her shoulder. The suit alone with out her in it weighed around one hundred and thirty pounds. She dragged the suit along until she was at the opening of the hull. Damn it...the large bulky shoulder guards wouldn't fit through. She would half to throw it through the hole piece by piece. Slowly, she began unscrewing the thing apart, until it lay in a heap of golden metal on the ground. First the helmet. Then the legs, arm cannon and breast plate. Soon, the whole suit was out on the soggy grass. She crawled through the whole once more, landing flat on her ass.

"Damn it...." She brushed her self off. She placed the arm cannon snugly on her arm, and activated the Plasma beam. A small blow torch appeared at the nozzle of the gun. A minor part of the suit was malfunctioning, and to get it working again would be a tricky task. She pulled one of the shoulder guards to her, and manually opened it up. Small gears and intricate little machines were inside, silver and copper wires flowing to and fro. The shoulder guards didn't protect her shoulders at all. They were the mechanics of the suit, the brain. Like an engine. She slowly began to weld at the broken pieces, and soon the gears whirred to life once more. Next, was the torso piece and breast plate. These pieces were vital, they contained the life support. She easily fixed this. Everything else was in good shape. She pressed once of the neon green buttons on the red plating. Golden light encased her body, the suit hugging her body. She walked around, fired her arm cannon, scanned with her visor. She did a few jumps, rolls, everything to make sure the suit was working properly. She turned as the voice of the machine sounded.

"Left thruster is complete, and functioning." She removed the suit and looked to the ship. She gave a nod of approval.

Master Chief grumbled as walked along the muddy path. Delivering food to the dumb blonde? This wasn't his idea of a mission. Stupid Arbiter...He held the warm metal food container to his hip. Inside were various breakfast items rationed out. Eggs, sausage and fruit. He could hear a familiar voice up ahead. Guilty Spark, how he hated that stupid machine. John did feel a little guilty for acting so irrational towards the girl.

"Just a little, John?" Cortana only called him John when things were casual. He let out a little sigh. He could now see the grove of trees where the ship was parked. It was impressive, he had to say. He could see the woman fiddling with something on the ground, a long green tube on her right arm. A bright blue light sparked out of the end, she was welding. A large golden sphere was between her legs. Two large ridges protruded from the smooth surface, two black lines running down the middle. She must have noticed him, for the green tube and sphere disappeared with a flash of orange and yellow. She stood up, her wet hair clinging to her wet body suit.

"I brought you food." His voice was quiet. She slowly approached him, she still being wary about approaching him, but she did. He extended one hand, the metal container facing towards her. She looked up at him with icy blue irises. She wrapped both of her tiny hands around the container.

"Thank you." She said in a tiny, quiet voice. John watched as she walked over beside her ship and sat down. She opened the container and pulled out the small disposable fork. She ate, and handed the container back to him.

"Where are you going to go once your ship is finished?"

Samus noticed the sincerity in his voice.

"I....I don't know, I don't anywhere to go.." She looked up to his polarized visor, searching for anything behind that golden mask. He must have sensed her longing, for he shifted uncomfortably to the other foot.

"I...want to apologize for yesterday." A small smirked played on her lips.

"Accepted."

John glanced over her body, noting the dirt piling up in her hair and face. She must not have showered in a few days.

"You're welcome to come and use the shower in my room." She must have been thinking. After a scrutinizing minute, she gave a nod.

"Why don't we leave Sparky here to finish your ship." She gave another small nod, looking back to the humming machine. They walked along for a few minutes, John was surprised that she could keep up with him, even with minimal effort. The small base camp came into view. He led her inside, and down the same hallway as before. They both entered a room, almost identical to the Arbiters.

"The shower is through that door."

"Thank you." As she disappeared through the sliding door, John removed his helmet. He rubbed a hand over his tired face before placing it back down on his thigh. His head shot up as the sound of water began in the other room. John wheezed as something tugged at his chest. Damn....he forgot to take his medication. Having been operated on so many times before, it was mandatory for him to take a small dose of a special medication, opted to keep him in good health and keep the side affects away. Shit, it was in the bathroom. He placed his helmet back on his head.

"Cortana, I need my medication. It's in the bathroom."

"Then go get it."

"Some one is using the shower."

"Who?"

"That girl from the other day."

"Good grief...just quietly walk in and grab it! I'm sure the room with be filled with steam anyways." She sighed. He slowly stood. He needed to be quick, who knows how long her showers took. He slowly placed a hand on the cold metal door, and slowly slid it open. Everything was good so far. He could see the tiny orange bottle sitting on the counter, taunting him. Cortana was right, the room was filled with steam. He slowly inched his way over to the sink.

"Ugh, this soap smells like ass." Chief winced as Cortana giggled. Good thing she couldn't hear her laughing.

"Where in the hell does this guy keep the loofa?" She muttered under her breath. John froze as shower door slowly slid open, and a sopping wet woman emerged. More steam piled out of the shower, shrouding John even more.

"Ah, there it is." She grabbed the dark green washing device hanging on the towel rack and entered the shower once more.

"That was too close Chief. I think you should grab your medication and get out." He slowly reached a hand out, and wrapped it around the bottle. Now all he had to do was get out. Success! He let out a long winded sigh as he sat down on the bed once more. He took off his helmet, popped one of the pills, and looked back to the bathroom door.

"You know Chief, she's going to wonder where that bottle went. If she sees you with it she'll know you were in there."

"I was just thinking about that..." He got up, slid the door open a crack, and peered inside. Good, she was still showering. He placed the bottle back in its original place, and made a mad dash for the opening. He slowly closed the door once more, and sat back down.

Samus emerged from the shower, feeling much better. She looked at the orange bottle sitting on the counter top. She bent down on her haunches to read the label.

"take once daily." That was all it said. Under the writing was a list of medications in the pills.

'Oponium two mg, zinc three mg, Nitrate 5 mg.' She recognized oponium as a strong pain medication, zinc as a health supplement, and Nitrate for heart conditions. Maybe he had operations or heart surgery in the past. She dried herself off, and slipped her zero suit back on.

"I think I'll stay in my ship for the night. Thank you for letting me use your shower." With that, she left. All John could do know was sleep.

Samus peeled off her zero suit as she entered the ship. She tossed this in a small metal container, which was the automatic laundry. Sleeping naked was something she grew accustomed to. She reclined the pilot's seat, until it was flat. She dozed off, the mechanical whir of Guilty Spark lulling her to sleep.

John awoke five hours later, feeling better than before. He needed a brisk walk, maybe to her ship.

"Her name is Samus, you know. Last name Aran." John was startled by Cortana's monotone voice. She, obviously being jealous.

"And you found this out how?"

"I heard the Arbiter talking to her after you had your hissy fit. She sure is amazing, I'll tell you that." John perked up.

"Amazing at what?" She giggled, the haughtiness in her voice was apparent.

"I'll leave it to you to figure out." John peeled himself from the bed and briskly walked out into the fresh air. The strange light of predawn streamed through the trees, casting ethereal lights that wove in and out of the tree branches. John often thought back to ancient Sparta, back in the times of Ancient Greece. They were displayed as muscular, powerful warriors, who were taught to steal and kill when necessary. They must have been legendary to be carried on through out history. The sound of Guilty Spark soon came into earshot. The stupid machine would only sing the theme song to Gilligan's Island. An old television show back form Earth. How he acquired the theme song was a mystery to John.

"Ah! Hello Master Chief!" The machine chirped with enthusiasm.

"......Gilligan's isle....."

"Have you seen Samus?" The machine continued singing the tune.

"She is inside, sir." John nodded and spotted a glowing platform leading into the ship. What he saw next startled him. A very naked Samus lay sprawled out on her captain's chair. Her round, fleshy breasts sitting on her chest like mounds of squishy bread dough. Her arms intertwined with one another, her hair askew around her. A patch of downy, soft looking curls nestled between her thighs. This was the first time he had seen a woman naked. Well, there was that one time when he was five when he walked in on his grandmother changing, what a horrid memory. He really didn't know anything about the female anatomy. He had witnessed countless jokes about 'that time of the month when the bathroom smells like a fucking fish hatchery' . He had no idea on what the young marines were talking about. He sometimes caught glances of that strange place between her legs. It was like empty space, nothing there. Unlike males with the apparent 'bulge.' This puzzled John. When he was younger, he remember one of his friends telling him about breasts and what not, and how squishy and amazing they were, apparently they held some mind boggling power that would draw you in to stare at them. He glanced over her body again. She had a small waist, but her legs were nothing from small. Long and muscular, not the muscular you would find on a poster female weight lifter, but muscular in the sense that she could kick you into next week. What intrigued him the most was the softness of her face. He was used to seeing the harsh features of his fellow comrades, a sea of cleft chins and five o'clock shadows along with bushy unkempt eyebrows. She let out a long, very audible sigh that sent a shiver down John's titanium coated spine. He better leave, wouldn't want her waking up. He exited the ship as quietly as he could. As his feet made contact with the soft ground, Guilty Spark spoke.

"Enemies approaching.......S.S. Minnow........Gilligan's Isle."

John crouched on the ground, removing the pistol form his thigh. Two tall, menacing looking aliens walked into the small grove. Fierce bug like mandibles sprouted from their mouths. Large spikes protruded from their backs, flashy blue armor on their chest and torso. A plate of sparkling blue was placed on their heads, two large energy scythes extending from their forearms. They stood at about nine feet tall, both growling and clicking. John shot a clip at them, his bullets did nothing. They merely bounced off. The things let out a loud growl, before they lunged at John. Unlike the Elites or Grunts, these creatures made no haste in trying to kill him. They calmly walked towards him, firing large shots from their cannons mounted on their shoulders. One lunged at John with it's scythe, while the other circled around him, growling. How would he get out of this....He looked in total confusion as the things looked to Samus' ship. They looked utterly mortified. One let out a harsh yelp before running off, the other standing there in fear. It finally ran off as well, leaving a very baffled John.

"Space Pirates." Samus, she was awake, clothed, and standing next to him.

"What are they?"

"Basically the antagonist of the universe. Power hungry, knowledge craving aliens that don't care about their carbon footprint. I have a very, very large grudge against them."

"Can I ask why?" For a spilt second an expression of pain and sadness spread on her face.

"Maybe later." Her voice was soft.

"Lets go eat, wouldn't want to stick around with those things." She gave a curt nod, following him as he walked away from her ship.

They both sat in the main cafeteria, a tiny dimly lighted room with mediocre food. Samus poked at her food, looking up at his masked face.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"No, I don't have an appetite at the moment." She nodded, sipping at the glass of weak tea.

"Are you going to tell me about your grudge against those aliens?" He asked.

"Alright. I lived with my parents on an Earth colony on the planet K-2L. When I was three, Space Pirates came and killed every one but me. It's not the most pleasant thing to see your mother getting stabbed through the stomach by a twenty foot dragon, and then watching as she gets thrown onto a pile of burning corpses. I burnt my hands badly trying to get her off."

She paused. John looked down at her.

"A race of large, biped bird like creatures called the Chozo had visited a few days prior to the raid. I made friends with one, whom I called Old Bird. They found me wandering the planet and took me to their home, where they infused me with their blood. For twelve years I trained under intense gravity, until I left to train with the Galactic Federation. I swore from that day that I would hunt down the Space Pirates, and destroy them."

John felt very empathetic towards her. He knew what it was like being torn away from your parents. He felt bad for them, knowing that they thought he was dead from the clone he was replaced with. Witnessing your mother being stabbed by a monster is one thing, and burning your hands pulling her smoldering body off of corpses is another. He knew she still had quite a story to tell, but he didn't want to force it upon her.

"My whole life, I have always been alone. Everything I have ever held dear has been taken away from me. My parents, the Chozo. Adam....."

"Who?"

"He was my CO, my mentor if you will. He watched over me when I was training with the GF. He was gruff, harsh, the perfect military mind. He called me 'lady' on missions. Coming from Adam, it sounded dignified, not sarcastic. At the end of briefings, he would say 'any objections, lady?', this was a rhetorical question, denoting our trust. On a training mission on a deserted planet, we were attacked by deadly aliens called 'Xenomorphs.' He distracted them so I could escape."

"When I was on Tallon IV after my fist, real mission, I could feel the pain deep within me. This planet too was inhabited by the Chozo. Reading their lore filled me with sadness."

John thought back to the generator. Maybe they could destroy it together.

Maybe...


	2. Fallen Soldiers

Her back screamed in pain as she tried to move. Pieces of her now broken visor lay on her face, one bright blue eye exposed. Blood dribbled down her covered mouth as she coughed, her ribs cracking ever so softly as she did so. She tried hiding the fiery pain that blistered through her veins, it was simply impossible.

OooooooO

John shifted awkwardly in his seat after that thought. _Maybe we can destroy the generator together..._

She seemed occupied by some other foreign thoughts, twirling the dull steel fork between her delicate fingers, one hand propping her chin up as her elbow rested on the table. She dropped the fork on the food tray softly, as if sensing he was about to say something. Her eyes flitted up to meet his hidden ones, bright blue orbs searching discreetly.

"Are you going to tell me about that generator?" She said quietly. John widened his eyes in unseen shock. Could she read minds or something? She must have sensed his pondering, for she immediately answered.

"I overheard you talking about it with someone yesterday."

"I see." What was that? Such a simple response...

Samus jumped as Cortana appeared beside John on the holographic image projector.

"Chief, the Arbiter has scheduled for both of you to meet him in the board room in five minutes." With that, she disappeared.

"What was that?" Samus inquired.

"Cortana, she serves as my personal AI and the main computer in this base at the moment." He replied.

"Come." He said quietly. She nodded, and exited her seat.

OooooooO

The loud monotone sound of Chief's boots clanking against the steel floor lulled Samus's mind into a cocoon of thoughts. Perhaps they were being called to discuss the generator, and how to destroy it. This was a possibility. The soft blue lights of the hallway illuminated the behemoth's visor, making his identity even more shrouded. She looked quickly to the floor, hoping he didn't catch her staring. They rounded the next corner, and entered through a large metal door at the end o the hall. The Arbiter awaited them at the end of a strange looking table. Samus looked in complexion at the sight before her. A holographic topographical map was displayed on the table, different regions of the planet spread out across the sparkling surface like a shimmering sea. Her attention was averted from the sight as the Arbiter began to speak.

"I've called upon the both of you in regards to the generator." He said quietly. Chief only stood there, not moving a muscle.

"Have you located it?" Cortana cut in. The purple woman popped up above the shimmering map, one hand on her hip.

"Yes we have, but sadly it is located some few hundred miles away. We found the heat signature of the generator by chance, but getting to it will be no simple task." The Arbiter's raspy voice was soon quiet, leaving the two humans to think. The Arbiter walked over to the glowing map, and pointed to a flat region South West of where they were currently located.

"We have picked up strange seismic activity in this area; you will dispatched there in two hours. I suggest you prepare yourself, you are dismissed." Samus curtly nodded, leaving the room quickly. Chief walked out slowly, turned, and nodded as well. Samus turned her head slightly at the quickened sound of Chief's footsteps. She turned her body fully around, craning her neck up to look at him.

"You should get ready; I'll meet you out side of my quarters in two hours." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper. She nodded, turned on her heel, and left.

The cool night air rushed against her, as if it were greeting her. She briskly jogged to her ship, realizing it would take well over half an hour if she walked. The faint hum of her ship came into ear shot as she approached. As the soft orange glow came into view, she noticed Guilty Spark was no longer present. She pressed her hand against the scanner, watching as the platform descended to the ground with a hiss of air. The platform rose steadily, pushing her into her pilot's seat.

_I don't need anything either than my Varia suit._

"Activate Varia suit." She said quietly.

"Activating Varia suit, all systems functioning at 100" The ship's monotone voice replied. The usual golden light enveloped around her body; this was what ready felt like. She exited her ship, and began the lengthy trek back to the base.

OooooooO

John slumped back onto his bed, a long winded sigh echoing from his helmet.

"You better get ready John." Cortana said. He lumbered from his bed, and opened the small metal closet beside the door. Ten gleaming guns sparkled before him, each begging him to use him in battle. He zapped his usual assault rifle to his back, along with the M7 and an abundance of M9 grenades were clipped onto his waist.

"You still have an hour left before you leave, you should rest." Cortana said quietly. John nodded; he could use a power nap.

'_What do you think is up there?' The girl beside him asked._

'_I don't know, but it sure is pretty...' John replied. The stars glittered peacefully, as it they were winking to him. John watched in horror as the girl beside slowly faded away to a dead corpse, leaving him all alone. _

John shot out of his bed, panting as he rested his arm above his head, pushing his body into the wall as he did so. He gritted his teeth at that dream, that dream that haunted his sleeping mind almost every night. He remembered that child hood memory; it was one of his memories that didn't involve pain or fear. He crashed to the floor, placing his hand on his cheek, wincing at the coldness of his touch. He placed his helmet back onto his head, feeling secure once more.

Two loud knocks on his door interrupted his train of thought.

"_That must be Samus." _He thought to himself as he opened the door. John almost jumped back at the sight before him. A large golden figure stood at eye level in front of him, two large spheres on their shoulders. A long green gun swayed at their thigh...

_Long and green...those spheres look familiar too..._

John looked at their tinted green visor, and was surprised to see two, human eyes.

"Samus, is that you?" He asked. The figure let out a slow nod. John was surprised to see text scrawled across the inside of his visor.

"My suit is incapable of transmitting speech."

"Cortana, can you fix this problem?" John said.

"Her suit is of ancient design, but I'm sure I can this. I will need to access her suit though." Cortana replied. John nodded, and turned back to Samus.

"Cortana will be able to fix the problem, but she will need access to your suits programming." Samus nodded. John watched as Cortana entered the suit with a bright flash of purple. A few minutes later, the purple woman emerged from the suit, and was gone with another flash. Cortana appeared once more on the holographic image displayer.

"Problem fixed." She said in a triumphant tone.

"Can you hear me?" Samus said. Her voice sounded horribly machine like and warped coming from her helmet, but this would have to do.

"Yes." As the s hissed from his helmet, the Arbiter approached from the shadows of the dimly lighted hallway. He was clad in his battle armour, weapons loaded to the brink.

"I see you two are ready, please follow me." He said. John looked over her suit with amazement; he had never seen anything like its design in his life. The three walked out into the night once more, and boarded the small pelican waiting outside. John noticed Samus's head bobbing down every five minutes or so, she was tired. He turned to the Arbiter.

"How long will it take to get to the generator's location?" He whispered.

"Three hours." John nodded. He walked over to Samus and shook her large shoulder guard softly. She instantly perked up, and looked up to his visor.

"You can go to sleep if you wish; we'll be landing in three hours." She nodded slowly. John watched as she pressed the glowing left green button on her red breast plate, making her suit disappear with a flash of gold. He perched himself a few feet away from her, keeping an eye on her. She slowly nodded into sleep, slumping down onto his lap. John was unsure of what to do, he felt extremely uncomfortable with the current situation.

_She's not doing anything suggestive...She's just sleeping._ He told himself. He relaxed his muscles, slowly leaning back to rest against the steel wall. She moved slightly, let out a small whimper, and sighed in her sleep. John rested a hand softly on her arm.

_Is she supposed to be this cold? _Her body suit was cold to the touch.

"Where are the damn blankets...?" He whispered. Reaching up, he opened the small compartment above his head, and found what he was looking for. He got up, placing the sleeping woman down gently on the steel bench. He carefully wrapped the blanket around her, until she was wrapped around inside the blanket. He sat down once more, placing her head back on his lap. John felt himself nodding into sleep as well, and soon he was in dream land.

"Well, would you look at that." The Arbiter said quietly, emerging from the cockpit. Johnson chuckled; looking over to John's sleeping form. Cortana let out a small huff. The Arbiter sat down across from the pair, as did Johnson. The two occupied their time by talking quietly to one another, looking over at the two sleeping forms once in a while.

"We're here." Cortana called out.

OooooooO

Samus awoke with a start. What was this warmth she was feeling? She looked down, only to meet soft woollen fabric.

_I was sleeping on his lap..._

She realized with embarrassment.

_He must have put this blanket on me._

She rose to a sitting position, pulling the blanket off of her as she did so. Chief stirred, but remained asleep.

"I see you're awake." The Arbiter said. Samus looked over to see him sitting across from her.

"Wake up Chief!" Cortana yelled. The green behemoth lumbered up from his sitting position, and stood. Samus watched as he stretched his arms up over his head, twisting his back. He felt around his waist, as if making sure everything was there. Samus noticed the weight change in her body.

_My Varia suit..._

The familiar golden light encased her body, leaving behind the large armoured Chozo battle suit. She could see the Arbiter looking at her with hidden amazement. She smiled softly; making sure no one saw it.

"Chief and Samus, you'll be heading out towards those mountains. Cortana will come with you, serving as your communication with us. You should find an entrance leading to generator." Johnson said. The two nodded, and exited the small craft. Samus watched as Chief slipped a small looking chip into the back of his helmet.

"That's probably Cortana." She whispered to herself.

They began their trek, the rain clouds blocking out the guiding light of the stars. The clouds rumbled, and soon the rain began to dump buckets on them. Samus could barely see in front of her. She switched her visor to thermal, following the heat trail of Chief. It felt like hours as they walked along the grassy fields. Soon the fields turned into rock, and soon the rock turned into a hill. The large hill led up to a steep path, twisting and winding around strange rock formations, slick with water and ice. Samus noticed the change in temperature. It was cooling down; rapidly. The rocky slope opened up in a large field of dead trees, a small mountain stream gurgling through the twisted, dead tree roots.

They continued onward, sometimes stopping to admire the breathtaking view.

"We are nearing the heat signature." Cortana's voice sounded in her ear.

"I think we found our entrance." Chief replied. Samus looked to where he was pointing. A small opening of brittle rock poked out from the large cliff side.

"It's too small for either of you to fit." Cortana said. Samus watched with intent as Chief tried breaking the rock away, it was no use.

"Stand back." Samus said. Chief briskly walked out of the way, standing a few feet away from her. She charged up her arm cannon, and twisted the firing nozzle inside to its usual super missile position. She let go of the trigger, watching as the missile burst from her arm cannon in a trail of bright yellow and orange. It made contact with the rock, a large explosion shaking the earth.

"Looks like you did it Samus." Cortana said. Samus let out a small nod, and began to climb inside the newly formed hole. Chief followed, wriggling his body through with great difficulty. The passage way before them was dark, and caked with ice and dirty snow. Cortana let out a small sigh, and began talking once more.

"This passage goes on for about four hundred meters, and stops at a small grove of ice and rock. There is another passage that leads down to a large ice cliff, and that goes down to the generator." Cortana said, letting out a long winded sigh.

"Is something the matter?" Chief asked.

"No. Let's get going." She hastily replied. Samus began walking, her arm cannon swaying idly at her hip. Her visor casting eerie shadows on the cavern walls as she walked along, making the passage way ahead of her even more dark and menacing. Samus tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, listening as Chief quickly caught up with her.

"Will there be enemies guarding the generator?" She asked.

"Most likely, but I highly doubt there will be a large number." He replied.

"I Hope they are nothing like Space Pirates..." She muttered. They continued for quite some time, until they arrived at the small grove Cortana had described earlier. Samus removed her helmet, letting the cool wind brush against her cheeks. She removed a small canteen of water from her hip, and poured it into her mouth.

"Do you want any?" She offered. He shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." She attached the canteen back on her hip. Samus scanned the area with her thermal visor. She was picking up small heat signatures from a small crack running down the side of rock.

"That is the passage way leading down to the generator." Cortana cut in.

Samus wedged her body in through the small space; this would not do with her large shoulder guards. She quickly morphed into her smaller, more compact morph ball. She easily slipped into the entrance way, zipping and bouncing along the terrain with relative ease.

OooooooO

John watched as Samus bent down, her suit changing shape in a split-second.

_How the hell did she do that? _He thought. Realizing there wasn't enough room for him to stand; he crawled onto his stomach, and began pulling himself along the ground. He crawled along until the cavern opened up. He stood, dusting off his armour quickly. He could see the large metallic sphere ahead, glowing enough to cast a sufficient amount of light. John watched as she unrolled, standing tall once more. They walked out onto the slick ice, the tight passage way now opening into a large room. John could hear the slow steady hum of the generator down below.

John scanned the ground. No enemies so far.

"This place is deserted." Cortana said quietly.

"You might want to take that back." Samus said. John watched as two large, bipedal creatures lumbered towards them, appearing from nowhere. They shook the snow from their large spike backs, roaring and growling ferociously as they did so. The things were huge, at least twice as tall as him.

"Adult Sheegoths...but what are they doing on this planet? The pirates must have transported them here..." Samus hissed through her visor.

"You encountered them before?" John said, removing his assault rifle from his back.

"Yes I have, and they don't go down easily." John began firing, running towards the beasts. They began firing powerful energy blasts at the two, one hitting him square in the chest. He stumbled back, but continued forward.

"Fire at their mouth when they start panting!" Samus yelled. John watched the creatures, avoiding their devastating ice breath. As Samus implied, they began panting. He open fired, the creature letting out a pain filled screech. It did something, but not enough to kill it. He ducked quickly as a pair of large jaws snapped down near his head. He rolled out of the way, shooting at the creature as it walked towards him, thrashing its head around widely. John watched from the corner of his eye as Samus battled the other, she was obviously experienced in fighting these things. He watched intently, avoiding the beast as he did so. She jumped in the air with great agility and grace, as if her suit weighed nothing. She slammed her arm cannon down on its head with a loud 'crack' rendering the beast immobile for a few seconds.

John quickly pulled his assault rifle from his back, and began firing at the creatures back. Slowly, the large ice structures on its back began to deteriorate over time, until the fleshy under side was exposed. He open fired, until the creature lay dead. He let out a sharp exhale, catching his breath with significant speed.

"Dammit!" He heard Samus yell. The other creature had scratched her arm cannon, leaving it quite damaged. She swung the large gun at its head, trying to make contact. The creature was backing her up against the edge of the ice cliff.

"She can't jump over it, her suit is incapable of scaling over the creature." Cortana half whispered. John watched in horror as she stumbled backwards, her foot slipping on the icy surface of the cliff. She fell to her stomach, her legs dangling over the side. John quickly grabbed his rifle, shooting at the creature. It reared back, falling on its side. It was dead; she must have been on the brink of killing it. Samus was clawing at the ground with her free hand; he could see the look of despair on her face, her eyes wide with terror. He dropped to the ground, grabbing her other hand roughly.

"She's too heavy John!" Cortana yelled out.

"Not heavy enough..." John grunted. He grabbed onto her arm cannon as well, pulling her slowly up. John had paid no attention to the incapacitated creature. It slowly arose once more, a deep rumble vibrating in its chest. It ran towards him, slamming into his back with such great force, his hands slipped, dropping Samus.

"NO!" He yelled. John collapsed to the ground, watching in horror as she plummeted down into the darkness.

OooooooO

_This can't be happening..._

She told herself.

_I will surely die, there's no way I can survive this fall...unless..._

She swallowed down her fear, quickly putting her suit in full life support. She closed her eyes, awaiting her arrival with the ground.

OooooooO

John slammed his fist to the ground. The creature was dead now, long gone.

"Chief, you have to go down..." Cortana said quietly, her voice wavering. John said nothing. He cringed as he heard the sickening 'crunch' of her suit making contact with the ground. The sound echoed up the icy canyon, entering his ears in what seemed like an eternity. He slowly crawled over to the edge of the cliff, looking down the chasm with great doubt. He squinted, straining his eyes against the snowy darkness. He listened carefully for any sounds, hoping to hear her voice once more.

And then he saw it, the faint green glow of her suits markings; and the subtle glow of her visor.

"If her suit is still working..."Cortana whispered.

"She must be alive..."John cut Cortana off as he stared down into the darkness, a little murmur of hope trembling in his heart.

OoooooooO

Ooooo cliff hanger! Don't worry kiddies, chapter 3 is already half written. I'll have it up in a few days! R & R please!


	3. Long Distant Road

AN-I would just like to clarify a few things before you start ready this chapter.

Some of you may be wondering why Samus's identity was revealed so early in the story. The case is, we know who Samus looks like, we can imagine her as who she is; the bad ass bounty hunter you see on the T.V. screen. I also want to mention that I really, really dislike Samus's hair. The side swept bangs and long pieces of hair framing her face, it's just not Samus. And that stupid red scunchy? Yeah, I can totally see her walking into Shoppers buying a pack of those. How Samus looks in this story? Well, her face and body, same as in every other Metroid game. Just imagine her with waist length hair, and semi long bangs if you would. She often pulls it into a messy ponytail, none of that side bang bullshit though.

As for John, no one knows what he looks like. From what Wikipedia and the books say, he has brown eyes and brown hair. I'll reveal his identity much later in the story, and I'll try to get his appearance accurate from what I've learned from the Halo games and the books.

Ta ta!

((I accidently screwed something up with the two paragraphs below, I was transferring paragraphs between my laptop and comp. I'll fix this right away...goddammit...)) WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE WORDING? HAHA OMG!! IT WASN'T LIKE THIS BEFORE! Dude, I laughed hard...gotta fix it!

OooooooO

John raced down to the bottom of the cliff, his feet stumbling over icy rocks; debris littered about the ground. The glow of her suit became brighter and brighter as he grew near. He could hear her groaning; a sound he never wanted to hear again. Twenty feet of sheer cliff side separated him from her; he would have to jump down. Angling his arms behind him, he heaved his body weight up into the air, landing with a loud 'thump' on the ground. He raced over to her side, dropping to his knees.

Pieces of her half broken visor lay on her face, one bright blue eye half lidded. Blood dribbled down her forehead, leaving a trail of deep red down her cheek. Her breaths were sharp, as if every agonizing inhale was a stream of fire. Her eye slowly rolled over to the right side of its socket.

"Her suit is in full life support. She must have activated it while she was falling. You'll have to manually get her out." Cortana said.

"And just how do I that?" John replied hastily. He ran his hand all over her suit, trying to find anything that would make the golden metal armour come off.

"...Hmm, from what I'm seeing, you need to press the two green buttons on her breast plate simultaneously." John nodded. He pushed his fingers into the green buttons, praying they would open the suit up. A hiss of air escaped from the metal seams. The suit began to file backwards, like an orange peel. The intricate gears and glowing lights of the suit were revealed, along with a fibrous like layer that clung to her skin. He watched as the suit fully opened its self up, the layers of metal and gears resting in the snow. John carefully wrapped his large hands around her smaller upper arms. He began to pull gently, until her upper body was slumped against his chest. He placed her down on the snow packed layer of earth, making sure she wasn't in pain. He grabbed her thighs, lifting them and out of the suit. She was fully exposed now, the shimmering gold of her armour lying in a tangled heap. He gently removed her helmet, and tossed it aside into the snow.

"Chief, you're going to remove her body suit if you want to heal her wounds." Cortana said quietly. John nodded. He propped her up so that her chest was lying flat against his legs, her arms swaying limply to and fro. He scanned his eyes over her back, trying to find a zipper. He grabbed the small piece of metal located at the top of her neck, and began pulling down. The zipper stopped just above her hip bone, giving him enough room to pull her out. She collapsed to the ground, her naked body sprawled across the pristine snow.

"Don't you have a blanket or anything?" Cortana said. John pondered this, looking over to Samus as he did so. He would need to keep her warm, or she would die. He pushed a button on his thigh, which opened up into a small emergency kit. He pulled out a small plastic wrapped packet, about the size of his thumb. He ripped it open, placing the small piece of the fabric in the palm of his hand. He grabbed a handful of snow, crunching it in his fist. The snow melted quickly, which he drizzled over the fabric. It slowly expanded, until it was the size of a large blanket. It wasn't very thick, but it was better than nothing. He shuffled over to her side, putting two fingers to her neck, making sure her heart was beating. He folded both of her arms over her chest, like an ancient Egyptian mummy. He placed the blanket down beside her.

"I'm detecting a heat source inside the generator building Chief."

John trudged through the thick snow, pressing the precious cargo against his chest. He booted in the large metal door, stepping inside. He was blasted by a wave of heat, which was odd, being that it was minus fifty outside.

"There is a storage space a few meters to your left." Cortana said. He quickly jogged over to the small alcove, and placed Samus down gently against the steel wall. He made sure she was asleep before removing his helmet. He squirted some water into his mouth, swallowing quickly. He replaced his helmet, and looked over to Samus. He squeezed her mouth open, the water dribbling down her chin. He closed her mouth; rubbing his fingers down the sides of her throat to induce swallowing. He removed her limp body from the blanket, and placed her down on top of the scratchy fabric.

"Cortana, can you do a body scan?" He asked. He removed the small chip from the back of his helmet. Cortana flickered out, standing seven inches tall beside the naked woman.

"Yes, I can. It will take a few minutes though." John nodded.

Cortana floated up to Samus's chest, stepping onto her flat stomach. She ran her hands over the woman's body, purple waves slowly washing over every nook and cranny. Cortana jumped down, and looked up to John.

"She has several cracked vertebrae, two broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a few bruises." Cortana said.

"What can I do?" He asked. Cortana cocked her hip to the side, placing her tiny hand over her mouth. She was thinking, and hard at that.

"You can only clean her open wounds at the moment. This will be risky, I'll tell you that." She said. She opened her mouth once more.

"Her injuries are too severe for you to fix at the moment, she will need medical attention. We are too far away from the base, and there is only one thing that can help us now; the Space Pirates."

"You mean those huge creatures I encountered near her ship?" John asked. Cortana made a confirming sound, nodding her head as she did so.

"The Pirates are hostile; the only thing they want with Samus is her head. The only way you can appeal to them is if you offer them something they can't refuse."

"And what would that be?" He said.

"Knowledge."

John pondered this. If he didn't risk appealing to the Pirates, Samus would die. If he did risk it, she might die as well. He shook his head in confusion, sitting down beside Samus. He needed their help, and he was going to get it.

"What kind of knowledge?"

"I saved a few lengthy scans of different planets and a few scans about phazon that Samus had saved on her ship." The purple woman replied. She floated over to John's side. She touched her hand to the small glowing chip, disappearing in a second. John slid the chip back into his head, the familiar icy rush over whelming him once more.

"Where can I find the Pirates?"

"I'm picking up scans of a small group of them located a few miles west of the generator. They have a small facility there. There is a door that leads to their location from this building. You need to hurry John, time is short." He dabbed a small piece of torn fabric with the water, slowly running it along her bloodied face. She let out a small moan, her nose scrunching up as the fabric made contact with her cuts. Once he was satisfied that she was clean, he wrapped her up once more, heaving himself up off the floor.

He ran along the darkened hallway, the slow mechanical groan of the generator echoing all around him. He opened the door, taking no time to stop. He dashed down the slightly inclined tunnel, Samus's legs hitting his arm every so often. He spotted a soft red glow up ahead; a door.

He opened it, and was greeted by four, very large beings. One shrieked in glee as it spotted the currently idle girl resting in his arms. Cortana began to speak in their language, the words strange and primitive.

("We have Samus with us, she is gravely injured. We need your help healing her.")

The largest of the four pushed one of his comrades aside, easily towering over John. His armour was impressive, two energy blades crackling at its wrists.

("And why should we help the hunter? After all she has done to us, she almost annihilated our home!") He hissed. Cortana snapped back at him.

("Have you forgotten what your race did her family? And we are giving you something in return. Something you can't refuse.") The pirate looked down at John, its hidden eyes glaring. He looked over to his comrades, they all nodded in unison.

("What is this offer.") The Pirate replied slyly.

("All the information you will need about certain planets, and information on phazon.") Cortana replied. The Pirate made a strange rumbling sound, which John guessed to be laughing.

("Foolish device, the hunter has long since destroyed phazon, why would we need information on that.") Cortana smirked.

("Have you forgotten the orange phazon on Tallon IV?") She replied. The Pirate cocked its head back, mandibles flaring. A long winded sigh escaped its mouth.

("Fine, we will help you.") The Pirate made a come hither motion; John followed the large being into what looked like a medical bay. The room was dimly lit, strange equipment strewn about. John placed Samus down onto the large steel table, looking away slightly as she groaned. He removed the blanket, and tossed it aside.

("Interesting...") The Pirate said as it poked at her skin. He inserted a strange looking needle into her arm, a clear liquid dripping down the tube connected to the needle. The Pirate turned to John.

("What can you tell me about her injuries.") Cortana spoke up, explaining what she had said earlier. The Pirate nodded once in a while, looking over to the naked woman every so often. John clenched his fist discreetly, this was taking too long.

Cortana translated everything back to John, explaining what the large being would be doing to the fallen huntress.

"They're going to do minor operations on her, nothing traumatizing to her body or anything of that matter." Samus began to mutter incoherently, her eyes racing under her eyelids. The Pirate dipped both of his large hands into a briny, yellow like solution, shaking the dripping substance off vigorously.

("We are going to need to clean the hunter in a solution of warm salt water before we begin with the procedures.") It said. Cortana nodded, and looked up to John.

"They are going to wash her in a warm salt water bath." She said.

"Why salt water?" John replied.

"Salt promotes natural cell growth; I'm guessing the water will help with the healing." The Pirate scooped Samus up in its long, spiny arms, and began carrying her through a large door to the west of where they first entered. The room was small, the walls barren and bleak. A subtle orange glow radiated from the light fixture above him, bathing the group in a warm glow. A large metal tub was situated at the end of the room. The Pirate placed Samus into the water, wrapping a flexible plastic band around her waist, which held her in place.

("I will leave you to do the cleaning human. My hands are far to large to do the job.") The Pirate walked out of the room, the door hissing shut behind it. Cortana let out a huff.

"He wants you to clean her." She said, jealousy racking in her voice.

"What?" John said. He was surprised at this; he had never even touched a woman's body before, well; not in this manner. He walked over to the tub, looking down at the currently floating Samus. Her head hung limp, her long hair half way submerged in the water.

"Use that sponge over there." Cortana said. John looked over to the small metal bench on the side of the tub. A large dark brown sponge was placed in the middle of the bench, as if it was placed there for a reason. He picked up the porous material in his hand, and dipped it into the water. He began by gently dabbing the sponge over, and under her arms.

"I don't..." He began.

"Want to touch her breasts?" Cortana finished his sentence, looking at him with a curious eye.

"Well, yes." He replied.

"She has to be cleaned John." He let out a small sigh, softly touching the sponge to her right breast. He ran it down softly, and repeated on the other. He washed her waist, her legs, and finally her feet. Once he was satisfied that she was clean, he unclipped the belt from around her waist, and heaved her out of the tub. He found a large piece of thin fabric, which was partially see-though. As soon as it made contact with her skin, it stuck to her like a glove, slowly losing its transparency the wetter it got. John peeled the fabric away, throwing it down onto the ground.

"Hmm, that must have been a towel." Cortana said. He lifted her up, and walked back out into the medical bay. The Pirate was hooking up various machines to other machines, which looked tedious. It caught wind of John, and turned on its heel. He pointed to the table. John placed Samus down onto the steel structure, watching intently as the Pirate strode over.

("We will begin with the vertebrae first. I will inject a gel like substance, which will fill in the cracks and fractures." The Pirate smeared a strange blue gel over her spine, and stuck a large syringe filled with green liquid into her back.

"He's injecting a gel into her vertebrae." Cortana repeated to John. He nodded. After five minutes, the Pirate removed the needle from her back, placing it into a large metal bin beside the table.

("Human ribs are difficult to heal, but I'll try my best with some small implants.") The Pirate made two small incisions over where her broken ribs where. He wrapped a small looking metal band around each cracked rib. He rubbed a clear liquid over the small cuts, which instantly healed the opened skin.

("What about the internal bleeding?") Cortana said.

("For some odd reason, the bleeding has stopped. My scans show that her red blood cells effectively stopped the trauma.") Cortana repeated this to John.

("How long until she awakes?") Cortana asked.

("I would say about twenty minutes. There is a small sleeping space located in the back. Please use it.") With that, the Pirate left, leaving John and Samus alone.

"There is a sleeping space, you should rest John." Cortana said. He picked Samus up, and walked over to the small bed, seemingly placed in the shadows. The bed was small, but it would do. He covered her with the woollen blanket placed on the bed.

"John, you're going to need to keep her warm if you want her to heal properly." Cortana said. He lifted her from her sitting position, and placed her onto his chest. Exhaustion swept over him like a veil. Removing his helmet, he popped a few of his pills, replaced the helmet, and soon was in a deep slumber.

OooooooO

The larger Pirate paced about the small meeting room, his fellow comrades seated around the circular table.

"We need to alert the troops that the hunter is here!" One rasped. The larger Pirate shook its elongated head, clicking its mandibles.

"No, not yet...We shall wait and see." The wave trooper sitting at the furthest end of the table slammed its hand down onto the table.

"Do you know what risk you are posing to us, to the entire race? If the hunter is to realize that we have helped her, who knows what she will do." The others nodded, except for a few who kept to themselves.

"What about the other human; the one clad in green." One said.

"We don't know anything about this person, but they could pose a threat to us." The larger Pirate replied. He paced around the room once more, looking over his comrades with a demeaning eye. This was one tough decision. Alerting the troops up on the mother ship would leave this facility vulnerable to the other mysterious race he had seen earlier. Do nothing, and the hunter could destroy them all.

"What about, the dark one..." A small militia said quietly. The Pirate looked over to the small militia, clicking his mandibles.

"It is decided, we shall call upon the dark one..."

OooooooO

This is a shorter chapter, well; it's more a filler chapter. I'm trying to get some good ideas going with the plot. I'll go over a few things first before I leave, in case anything in this chapter is confusing.

Samus's Suit - A lot of people don't know how her suit opens up manually, usually it just disappears with a flash. I tried my best trying to explain it, so hopefully it made some sense.

The Pirates - Gasp! The Pirates! We'll just wait and see where this goes...

John's booby fear - I don't know how to explain this, I mean, I bet he hasn't seen a naked woman before, and having to touch her boobies? Well, I guess that pretty much explains it.

Cortana being so chill' - I'm not making Cortana all that intelligent, as human wise goes. She is artificial intelligence, she's not dumb or anything, but I guess what I'm saying is she can't grasp humans being buck naked. Or she isn't bothered by it. Either one.

Until next time! Please R & R, it makes me happy! If you would like to leave me any suggestions or anything like that, please drop me a line!

Bye!


	4. Remember, Fallen Warrior

AN-This is a very short chapter; well it's more of a narration of Samus. I wanted to post this as it was, without ruining the mood of the topic and subject. I will leave this saga as it is, and the next chapter will be full of what you want.

OooooooO

_She could see him, sense his presence; the steady crunch of his large armoured feet in the snow. The pain, oh the pain and how it ripped through her body like a wave of pure acid, shredding her flesh. She barely had enough energy to move her eyes, let alone breathe. Every time she inhaled, it was as if a thousand sharp knives were being plunged into her spine. She could feel his touch, his hands running over her armour. His words were gibberish, she couldn't understand anything. Was it because of the blood pooling in her skull? He was opening her suit up; she could feel the cold blasts of air from the icy environment around her. She could see his golden visor, as foggy as it was to her. She inwardly smiled, knowing he was here to help her. _

_She seethed as he pulled her upper body out of her suit. She fell against his chest, wait...his chest... _

_She savoured that thought, her cheek firmly pressed against his breastplate. He lifted her legs out, everything becoming black for a few seconds. The vertigo overwhelmed her as he spun her around onto her stomach, her ribs laying flat to his legs. He was taking off her bodysuit...but that would mean she would be naked..._

_In front of him; something she feared._

_She clenched her jaw shut as he placed her down onto the freezing snow. Her fingertips dug into the frozen ground, as if telling the snow how much pain she was in. The cold winds brushed over her body, chilling her to the bone. It didn't make her injuries any better. She listened carefully as he opened something, perhaps medicine, or food? She could hear the crunching of snow, and then the steady dripping sounds of water. He moved over next to her, and rolled her body over onto something surprisingly soft. _

'_He...he has a blanket, for me?'_

_She could feel his hands on her back; he was rolling her up. Her back screamed as he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to some unknown place. She could feel, and hear everything as if they were mental pictures. Trying to see the world around her took too much effort, the pain clouding her vision whenever she opened her eyes. She jumped mentally as a loud metal bang entered into her ears. Heat, oh glorious heat!_

_A few more agonizing steps were taken, and then she was placed down. Those hands, how they brushed over her body, almost as if he was tentative towards her. He opened her mouth; sweet, cool liquid began trickling down her throat. More strange and warped sounds came from his gleaming helmet. Something purple and glowing was standing on her; Cortana perhaps?_

_She shuddered as small shocks of electricity washed over her. More gibberish, but one word stood out._

'_Pirates...'_

_Her cheeks and forehead began to sting as he ran some sort of scratchy fabric over her face, it sometimes snaring in her wounds. He was cleaning her cuts. His hands snaked under her once more, and she was lifted into her saviour's arms. She could hear the slow mechanical hum of something in the warm realm she currently inhabited. Was it the generator? Her legs bounced against his cold metal arms as he jogged towards something; an exit maybe? _

_Growls and clicks could be heard, deep baritone rumbles reverberating in her sternum. _

'_Pirates...'_

_She was placed onto a cold metal table, was she captured? What happened to her saviour? More gibberish, but she could make out a few words in her pain induced dazed. She didn't want to repeat them over; they would simply confuse her even more. _

'_What is this warmth, and this...this floating sensation?" _

_Her mind raced as something ran over her breasts. Were they perhaps...touching her? No...No; they wouldn't. The strange material was rubbed over her legs and feet, and then she was finally lifted out of the strange sensation. Damp coldness and the feeling of loss overwhelmed her as something was plastered onto her skin. Even in her lucid state of awareness, everything was so vivid; so amazingly surreal. She felt dry, and clean. _

'_I'm...I'm going under.'_

_The pain was slowly going away, until all that was left was blackness, cold and empty blackness that threatened to consume her. _

_Everything whizzed past her in a flash. Her parents, the Chozo, Adam...She could see every face as clear as day, if she had the ability to cry at the moment, she would. She would cry her eyes out. She reached out to touch her mother's face, but her arm was firmly stuck in place. Slowly, her soft rounded features faded away, her soft blue eyes disappearing with a warm glow of light._

'_No...No I want to see you again; I want to touch you once more!' The tears welled up in her eyes, but nothing came pouring down her face. Nothing at all, it was as if her eyes were a dry desert of misery, begging to be quenched._

_Slowly, she began to regain consciousness, her environment becoming very real. All she could register was the warm feel of metal underneath her, and the slow steady rising of some one's chest._

'_His chest.'_


	5. Plain of Mementoes

'_His chest.'_

OooooooO

The soothing sound of his large breaths slowly awoke Samus form her slumber. Realizing the only thing covering her from him was a thin blanket, she shied away over to the bed, running her fingers through her hair in a slightly panic induced manner. Wait, didn't she just fall off a three hundred foot cliff face? With shaky hands, she ran her hands over her body, making sure everything was where it should be. She let out a sigh of relief, dropping her arms by her sides. A loud snore brought her out of her daze; Chief.

"Did he, save me?" She whispered to herself. He looked so relaxed and calm, as if nothing was in his suit at all, just an empty husk. She shook these thoughts out of her head; he was very much alive. She peered over to the small opening separating her from whatever was on the other side of that wall. Her feet were soft against the cold stone floor, almost as the ground wasn't really there at all. A warm orange glow radiated into her pupils as she peered around the corner.

"This must be the medical bay." She said quietly. The technology looked familiar; too familiar.

"No...It can't be." She fell down to her knees, scrunching her hair in her balled fists atop her head. She let out an aggravated cry of disbelief, not noticing the green giant behind her arise from his sleep.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Her eyes burned with betrayal, hurt, and worst of all; love. She pushed that last emotion out of her head the second she thought of it. She raced over to him, slamming her fist into his chest.

"How could you?" She screamed. She landed another blow, blood seeping from her knuckles. He grabbed her arms, trying to restrain her. She thrashed about widely, landing a few kicks to his legs. She fell to the ground, bringing him down with her. She quickly scooted to the other side of the small room, staring at him with wide, horrified eyes.

"Listen to me." He began. She didn't want to hear it. Before she could do anymore harm, he quickly grasped her arms, pushing her down onto the bed. She wriggled under him as he pushed his knee down onto her inner thigh, rendering her immobile.

"I had to do it, if I wanted to save you." He said calmly.

"I would rather DIE!" She spat, tears of anger streaming down her face. She closed her eyes, taking a few sharp breaths as she did so.

"It was the only choice I had; I couldn't leave you in the cold to die." He said, his words becoming a little sharper. She bit down on her lip, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

"Do you know how hard it is, living with the guilt, the hatred. My one goal is to wipe these fuckers out of existence. I'll never get my parents back." Her voice wavered at the last few words, a stray tear falling here and there. He let go of her, quickly pacing to the other side of the room. She watched as he let out a large sigh.

"Chief..." She began. He turned his head slightly.

"I'm...I'm so sorry." She said. He turned his body fully around, staring at her with those hidden eyes. She buried her face into her hands, drawing her knees up to her chest. She watched as he walked over, and sat down beside her, fingering a piece of her hair between his gloved thumb and index finger.

That one small touch, that meant the world to her. She buried herself into his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

"I had forgotten about what you did for me." She said. She looked up at him, her lips quivering. He let out a small chuckle.

"We all forget sometimes."

OooooooO

John let out a small sigh as Samus walked into the small latrine he had been in earlier. He had to admit, she did pack a punch when she was attacking him. He looked down at his armour, and was surprised to see a small smear of blood on his chest. He decided to leave it as it was, nothing like a few mementos here and there. He was regretting having to tell her about her suit; hopefully she would be able to fix it. Their main problem now was getting out of this facility without Samus wailing on the pirates. His thoughts were interrupted as she emerged from the small bathroom.

His eyes instantly widened as they fell upon her. He had no idea that her hair was so long. It swayed just below her hips, long bangs shrouding her eyes in mystery. She had fashioned a sort of slip dress with the blanket, the piece of fabric wrapped tightly around her chest.

It was funny how he found her more appealing with clothes on, maybe it was the fact that he couldn't see what was underneath that thin piece of brown fabric.

"What are we going to do?" She asked. He got up from his sitting position and walked over to the corner of the room, peering over into the orange backlights of the other room. He shook his head, turning back to meet her face.

"I don't know..." He replied. She only stared into the other room, as if looking down upon all the foreign machinery.

"You two should get out of here." Cortana said; her voice quiet. John let out a curt nod, and then turned to Samus, who returned the gesture.

OooooooO

"What's the code number for Alpha Terra, sir?" The smaller wave trooped inquired.

"00210035400" The larger Pirate replied with a huff. The trooper punched in the numbers into a holographic keypad, a small window popping up after the last number was inputted. The image of a pirate appeared, it was about the same size as the larger pirate.

"Vek, it is good to see you." The Pirate announced into the hologram.

"Same to you commander, do you bring news?" The other replied.

"Yes, very important and shocking news." The commander replied.

"We have found the hunter; she is currently resting after we healed her. She is with another human." The one known as Vek gasped, looking around the room.

"You...you are not pulling my thorax, are you?" Vek replied. The commander chuckled.

"No, I am not. I assure you she is in our grasp. I need to speak to the dark one." He said. Vek nodded, and turned the displayer over to a small crater, a bubbling pile of blue fluorescent goo sitting idly in the hole. A small hand was still visible, as well as large round shoulder guard.

"Dark one, I bring news." The commander said. The pile of ooze began to vibrate, raspy words emitting from the crater.

"What...news...do...you...bring..." It said.

"We have the hunter." He replied. The crater seemed to let out a gasp, as the pile of goo was vibrating very fast now.

"You...must...bring...her...to...me!" The last word came out in a predatory growl, the small hand clenched into a balled fist.

"We must win her trust first, dark one. I assure you, you have my word." The Pirate said.

"You...choose...your...words...well...if...I...do...not...get...what...I...want,...you will...be...severely...punished." It replied. The larger Pirate twiddled it strange fingers discreetly, before replying to the talking goo pile.

"We will dispatch to Alpha Terra as soon as possible."

"Make haste...and...insure...the...generator...is...left...un...harmed." The crater replied. The commander nodded, and closed off the conversation with the one known as Vek.

"Make preparations for Alpha Terra, and check on the hunter." The larger Pirate said. The wave trooper nodded, and left the room.

OooooooO

Samus lowered her eyes as the shadow of a trooper entered the room. It stepped a few feet closer, revealing its purple armour.

("Are you well?") It asked. Samus curtly nodded, her jaw muscles tensing. She could see Chief's helmet going back and forth between her and the Pirate. He must be questioning her, on how she can understand their complex language of predatory clicks and deep gurgles. She stepped forward, until she was an inch away from its chest plating.

("Now you listen to me,") She began, shoving her finger roughly against its chest.

("I will never forget what your race has done to me, and don't think I won't turn my back on you for one second.") She hissed the last word, stepping away from the Pirate. It looked down at her, cocking its head to side in a curious manner. She lowered her gaze, moving her eyes over to meet the green armour of Chief's.

The Pirate turned on its heel abruptly, and left.

"You can speak their language?" Chief asked. She nodded.

"When I was sent on missions to Pirate inhabited worlds, I slowly began to learn their language. It took me a few months of intense concentration with scans I received from my ship logs, but it was worth it." She said; her voice barely audible. She watched as he nodded.

It seemed like hours as they both sat around, doing absolutely nothing. She didn't want to risk going outside; she didn't trust the Pirates, not one bit. She watched from the corner of her eye as Chief pulled something out of the small metal pocket on his hip. She recognized it to be dehydrated rations. He threw a pack to her.

"Here, you must be hungry." He said. She slowly nodded, looking at the packet in question.

"Pasta and chicken, with a side of carrots; mix well with warm water." She repeated from the packet. She found a suitable corner to rip the packet open, only to find that it wasn't too easy to tear. She finally got it open by ripping the touch metal like plastic apart with her teeth.

"Here's some water." He said, throwing her a canteen. She said her thanks, filling the packet up halfway. She closed the bag, and shook it vigorously until it ballooned up with steam. She opened it, savouring the smells of her food. She shook the bag over her open mouth, finding the texture to be quite chewy, and very flavourless.

"Aren't you going to eat?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" She said. He looked over to her.

"Shoot." He replied.

"Erm...well...I just wanted to know why I never see you without your armour." She said sheepishly. He shifted uncomfortably in his sitting position, clearing his throat as he did so.

"I guess...I guess I've grown so accustomed to wearing it, it's like a second skin you could say." He said quietly. She nodded.

"You must smell pretty wicked." She said, with a toothy grin plastered on her face.

"Of course I bathe!" He replied back with a fair amount of haste in his voice. She giggled; her eyes half lidded in contentment. She yawned, stretching her arms back over her head.

'_Task 213345001 is almost complete...'_

Her eyes flashed a bright green at this thought, a small smile forming on her face.

OooooooO

She smiled softly inside of the stasis tank, watching as the girl seemingly flirted with the larger male in the green armour. The woman's eyes were closed, but she could see everything as she floated up and down, small bubbles tussling her blonde hair. One of them walked into the room, plugging something into the side of the wall. She couldn't see around her, but she could hear. Everything she heard was more amplified and slow, since she was in a strange water like solution. She heard the steady footsteps coming towards the tank, loud and ominous. The creature tapped on the glass, making a soft gurgling noise.

She watched as the girl giggled madly at the male's remark, something she would have done, but more subtly of course.

_That was something they got wrong..._

She thought to herself. Something marvellous entered her taste buds...oh, the smell and texture, the rich flavour of the root vegetable against the palette of her mouth. Soon, the image faded as the light grew dark in the room, they were putting her to sleep again. She sighed, large bubbles escaping from her mouth and rising to the surface of the tank.

OooooooO

There was something odd about Samus since she woke up, he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment.

_Maybe the Pirate implants are making her act like this. _

He thought idly to himself.

"Maybe so, Chief." Cortana replied. John looked in surprised fear at her face as her eyes flashed a green colour.

"Are you okay?" He said. She shook her head, and nodded.

"Yes, of course I'm alright." She said, her eyes lowering as she said the last word.

"Well, we should get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." He said. She nodded.

Something awoke him from his sleep, well; he was only asleep for about twelve minutes. It sounded like a mechanical groan, like small springs and gears churning against one another. He searched the room with his hidden gaze. Maybe a machine next door was making the noise. No, it was too close to be in the other room. It happened once more. He slowly pinpointed the noise.

"What the hell?" He muttered. His eyes grazed down ward to the floor, where they fell upon Samus's sleeping form, nestled contently against the cool stone wall.


	6. One Whole

Chief stared blankly at Samus, whose breathing sounded very strange. Her chest sounded like it was rattling, as if a steel ball was bouncing around inside of her ribcage. He bent down beside her, watching as her breaths became more rigid. He shook her gently. She didn't stir, not even a confirming noise. He shook her more violently, pulling back in shock as her head snapped back.

And then she awoke.

"117." She said with a hiss, her eyes still closed. Her head still bent back in an unnatural position, which looked very sickening from his perspective. She reached out and grabbed his arm in one swift motion. Her neck snapped back into place, her eyes now open and locked onto his hidden ones.

"...Samus?" He said quietly. She swiftly jumped into the air, twisting his arm around, slamming him onto his back. This was far from a devastating attack to him, but it still surprised him that she could lift one thousand pounds in the air like that. She recoiled, springing back to the other side of the room.

'_Is she still mad about yesterday?'_

'_How would she know your number, Chief?' _Cortana said.

'_I...I don't know.'_

She ran towards him, landing three solid punches to his abdomen. He stumbled back, but kept his stance. He grabbed her foot just in time as it sped towards his helmet. She fell to the ground, her leg lifted into the air.

"What the..." He muttered. It was if her body shut off, her slender frame crashing to the ground. Her eyes looked dull and lifeless, as if nothing was inside of her. He needed to calm his nerves...this was all too much for him to handle.

OooooooO

She floated idly in her stasis tank, watching the ordeal unwind before her.

'_Why...why would they do such a thing?' _

She thought to herself as the girl attacked the man clad in green.

'_I...I need to get out of here."_

She pressed her hands against the thick glass, bringing her finger up to the slick surface. She tapped slowly, testing to see how thick it was. She brought her arm back, and swiftly made contact with the glass. The water resistance was too great; there was no way she would be able to break the glass with the water surrounding her.

Unless...

She put both arms on either side of the tank, and began pushing as hard as she could. She could feel the glass begin to bend. She pushed harder, straining herself with all of her might. Her muscles flexed painfully as she continued to push. She smiled inwardly as the glass collapsed under the tremendous pressure. She breathed a sigh of relief as the water splashed down onto the ground, flooding the small lab. She stepped carefully to the ground, avoiding the large pieces of broken glass on the cold floor.

Her first priority was to kick the shit out of herself...

OooooooO

John peeled his armour off his body slowly, placing the green metal down beside the tub. He unzipped the black body suit, quickly stepping out of it. He sucked in a sharp breath as the freezing air swept past him.

'_Damn, Samus must have been cold.'_

He stepped into the steaming water, pushing the strange holding device out of the way. He closed his eyes, savouring the warm heat that surrounded his aching body.

OooooooO

She sped down the freezing hallway, making her way down to the small room behind the medical bay. The soft silver lights of the outside window reflected onto the floor, and over a certain person she had some business with. The girl was resting, but she wasn't breathing.

'_It's a goddamn android...'_

She thought. As soon as she entered the room, the android sprang to life, and grinned maniacally as its eyes fell upon her. It sprang forward, both fists out. She quickly dodged to the side, landing a kick to the droid's back. It reeled around, landing a quick punch to the side of her head. She grabbed the android's long silvery hair and pulled, slamming its head down onto the cement flooring. It let out a mechanical groan as it jumped forward, the hair in her hand ripping from its scalp. She dropped the hair, and charged forward. The droid slammed its hand into her ribs, sending her to the ground. She wheezed, a small amount of blood splashing to the ground.

"You won't go down easily, will you?" She spat. The droid only stared blankly, its dull eyes staring ahead.

"Fight fire with fire." She muttered. The android quickly spun around, a roundhouse quickly coming towards her. She ducked, and grabbed the droid's upper thigh, twisting its femur around in its socket. She quickly landed a devastating punch to the twisted joint, listening as the femur popped out of the hip socket. The droid cried out, and fell to the ground from the sudden displaced bone.

She knelt down beside the droid, and began slamming its head into the floor, over and over until all that was left was a mess of milky fluid and artificial bone and skin fragments. The droid twitched, and then was still.

OooooooO

John shot up from the water, something was happening outside...

He could hear the distinct sound of fighting, and then the sound of steel being ground against the cement floor. He jumped out from the large metal tub, towelled off, and replaced his armour in one swift movement. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a rather disturbing sight.

Samus was standing over...herself?

She was clad in the same slip dress as the other Samus; she must have taken it from the other one.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"When I was asleep, they replaced me with an android. I presume to kill you, and to keep me." She said. He cocked his head to side slightly, as if questioning what had just happened.

"They took my emotions and memories, I'm guessing to fool you into thinking it was the real me." She said once more. He nodded.

"Of course, they got a few things wrong with the wiring. I would never act like I did..." She said.

"How...could you..." He began.

"See everything? They linked me to the android with sight, whatever it saw, I saw." She said. Once more twitch escaped from the androids destroyed body, and then it was finally still.

"How long was the android with me?" He asked, watching with curiosity.

"I presume they took me during the night when I was sleeping on top of you." She replied blankly. He nodded once more.

"We should leave this place." John said quietly, his eyes narrowing behind his helmet.

"What about the generator; I presumed you destroyed it?" She said. He shook his head curtly.

"My first priority was you."

OooooooO

Her face paled as those words escaped his hidden mouth. She looked down to the floor, her wet hair clinging to her scalp and waist. She wasn't paling because she was afraid, or scared. It was her way of blushing; Chozo blood was too thin to see under the skin, which is why she could not blush.

"They're coming..." She said under her breath. Heavy footsteps drew closer towards them, and the sounds were getting quite loud at that. She watched as Chief cocked his head to the small window. The loud drumming of a distant ship could be heard, the engines roaring to life. She craned her neck up to look at him, her eyes calm and collected.

"We need to go." She said. Her eyes grazed upon his large form as he unclipped the rifle from his back, making sure everything was working.

"Lead the way." Her voice escaped quietly, her eyes pleading with uncertainty. She let out a reassuring sigh as he dashed forward, barely squeezing through the small opening that led to the medical bay. She could hear the angry clicks and trills of the Pirates ahead, and the menacing crackle of their energy scythes. A loud shot blasted through the door, landing a few feet away from her. She dodged to the side, the heat from the blast washing over her in a wave. A wave trooper stormed in, and began to open fire on both her and Chief. The blasts were far from small, and difficult to dodge. She watched as Chief's bullets merely bounced off the trooper's armour. With a loud crack, one of the bullets finally pierced an exposed area of flesh. The Pirate shrieked, white blood spilling from the large hole in its thigh. He ran forward, Samus hot on his tail.

She bit back on her lip as Chief resorted to blunt force. He slammed the butt of the rifle into the chest of an un-suspecting militia. He finished it off with a few shots.

She scowled as the larger Pirate stormed out into the small hallway.

("Did you really think I would let you escape unnoticed, hunter?") It said.

"Cortana, can you translate?" Samus said quietly.

"I thought you could understand them?" Chief asked. Samus shook her head.

"No, their language is far too complex to master." She replied back, her hands fidgeting against her chest.

Hot waves of energy whizzed past their heads, the Pirate's large shoulder mounted gun blazing with ripples of heat. She paled once more as Chief grabbed her hand quickly, forcing her up the ramp that lead out of the facility. He madly fired behind him, taking care not to hit her.

Four more Pirates remained. In her current state, they would be too difficult to defeat. She noticed the clip of grenades resting idly on Chief's hip.

"Throw a grenade down!" She yelled. He nodded, and removed the large black object from his hip, pulled the pin, and hurled it forward. He quickened his pace. Samus had to pump her legs furiously if she wanted to keep up with him, and not risk being dragged along the ground. The loud blast tore up the hallway, the sound waves entering her eardrums with such a force, she had to cup her free hand over her ear. The faint red glow of the door ahead was coming into sight. Chief tore the door apart, jamming his body through, pulling her along with him.

"I think we have enough time to plant some C4 on the generator." He said. He grabbed a small brown, rectangular brick like object from his gear, and slammed it onto the generator door.

"We have two minutes." He said with a loud voice. She quickly nodded, and followed him out of the door, and back to the barren ice field.

"Wait!" She screamed. He turned around abruptly, staring at her with a curious eye.

"Where is my Varia suit?" She said, worry racking her voice. She gulped down the fear the crawled up into her stomach.

"I buried it over there, in that snow pile." He pointed to the large pile of snow to her left. She practically leapt over to the snow pile, clawing madly at the frozen ice. She could feel the super chilled metal beneath her fingertips. Once she found the breastplate, she pressed the other green button. The suit disappeared with a flash.

"GO!" She yelled. She was a few feet in front of Chief, her long legs carrying her further. She easily scaled the ice cliff, watching as Chief followed behind her with ease as well.

"Thirty four seconds..." Cortana said, her voice crackling out from Chief's helmet. They were nearly at the top, and then it happened. The blast was enormous, a large cloud of pure energy mushrooming up to the very top of the ice cavern. The ground shook widely beneath her, large pillars of ice and rock crashing all around them. The small ledge they were on would collapse at any given moment, she had to act quickly.

"Jump ahead, I'll follow." She said hastily.

"Are you sure?"

"Go!" She yelled. He jumped up to the ledge above them, crawling onto the sturdier surface. The ground beneath her trembled, the ice cracking beneath her feet. She jumped into the air, and grabbed onto the ledge. Chief hauled her up.

"Come." He said quietly. She shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest.

OooooooO

John exhaled a sigh of relief as they emerged from the caverns that haunted them down below. The grey light of dawn streamed down onto the small plain of dead grass, mingling with the grove of dead trees. He pressed a small button on the side of his helmet, and waited for the familiar voice of Johnson to radio through.

"Chief, is that you?" Johnson's gruff voice echoed in his helmet.

"Of course it is; who else would it be?" He said.

"You Cheeky bastard; we'll be down on field beside this big ass mountain you guys went up. Hurry Chief, Johnson out."

"The team will be waiting down on the field." He repeated to Samus. She nodded; her eyes somewhat distant. She must still be shaken up from before. As they reached the bottom, John could make out the small gleam of the Pelican in the early morning sun. Johnson greeted them both as they rounded the bend leading to the small transport ship.

"Good job you guys, you completely irradiated the generator. The ring is shutting down."

The arbiter bowed to the both of them, and whispered something to Johnson.

"Dammit!" Johnson yelled.

"What?" John said.

"Follow me."

John did so, taking note of Samus's soft breaths behind him. The entered the Pelican, and were both led into the cock pit. Jonson pointed to the radar screen.

"It can't be..." Samus breathily exclaimed. A whole squadron of Pirate ships showed up on the radar, one large ship occupying the general space of the others.


	7. Drift into a Deep Grave

The ships swiftly moved into position above the small planet, each ready to fire. The largest of the ships, the mother ship, sank into the depths of the pre dawn sky; its turrets gleaming in the first rays. A blue entity surrounded the large craft, and expelled with such a large force, the Pelican was knocked off balance.

"Transmission encoded, Chief." Johnson said, his face drawn into a tight line. John nodded, and pressed the glowing orange com button on the control panel.

The face of a large Space Pirate appeared on the screen; this Pirate resembled the last one that had helped Samus. A strange crater of sorts was visible, placed at the far back of the room. Soft blue lights flickered in array, in and out of the large rock, as if waving hello. Cortana was currently conversing with the Pirate, her small purple body glowing brightly in the dimly lighted room.

"They want us to go to Alpha Terra, or planet P-3145." She said.

"Alpha Terra; isn't that..."

"K-2L..." Samus cut Johnson off, her eyes staring off into space. A small memory re-played itself in John's mind; a small and incoherent memory. He remembered Samus sitting down at the cafeteria table and telling him of her rather melancholy past. The name K-2L stuck out, as if it held some large significance. Then it struck him; a milestone to her past. The very planet she was born on, one of the first democratic Earth colonies. Cortana's voice brought him back to the world they were currently in, and out of his own.

"Why is it called Alpha Terra? I recognize Terra to be an old word for 'Earth'."

"Earth is still a large stronghold, but K-2L was the first Earth colony to fully support life; thus making it the 'home' planet. K means Kalandor, as in the Kalandor nebula, and 2L means two light years away." Samus said quietly. Her eyes were bright and inquisitive, something John enjoyed about her.

Johnson shifted awkwardly on his feet before addressing the pirate.

"Why do you want us to go?" He questioned.

("That is not important, human. We have important matters to discuss with the Hunter.")

"Why should I trust you?" Samus spat, her eyes drawn into fierce slits.

("It could save this whole galaxy; maybe even the universe.")

"What could possibly be a threat to us?" Cortana inquired.

("Have you forgotten about the covenant, the flood, and the prophets?")

"We killed Truth!" Johnson practically yelled, as if wearing the catastrophe involving Miranda as a badge of glory.

"And how do you know so much about the covenant?" John said rather quietly.

("We have our sources, but the matter still remains humans. If you do not go forth to Alpha Terra, all that you value could be annihilated.")

John lowered his head in hidden guilt as the Pirate closed off the conversation. Sure, he destroyed the generator, but somehow he couldn't push the feeling that the android wasn't just a ploy; it was something greater. How could he have not seen that the droid was not really Samus? Was he still that secluded and hidden around her? He thought back to Miranda, how her cries of terror echoed throughout the Prophet's chamber as the needler spikes dug into her flesh. He looked over to Samus, relishing her shy fidgeting. He found it rather cute.

"It's decided. We shall go forth to K-2L and meet with the Pirate brigade." The Arbiter said, his mandibles flaring at the last few words. John watched as Samus lowered her head to the side, her eyes planted on the ground.

The small planet came into view, reflecting off the front windshield in a spectrum of blues and dust reds. Soon the tiny speck of red blew up to the size of the moon, its glowing aura filling the cockpit with a warm light. The small drop ship descended into the planet's atmosphere, the intense heat of the overly excited atoms boiling the inside of the ship. Soon, they were hovering high in the midday sun of K-2L. The hatch doors opened with a mechanical hiss, a pleasant breeze tussling Samus's long blonde hair.

"Wait! What are you..." John called out, watching as Samus jumped out from the ship. He rushed over to the newly opened ramp-door, the tiny speck of her blue jump suit soon disappearing as she entered through a clump of dust clouds. "Drop the ship!" John Yelled.

Johnson nodded, and shut the engine power off. The ship plummeted down, two small auxiliary hovering units keeping the craft from flipping over from the tremendous wind resistance. The speed from the ship picked up quickly, them soon catching up to Samus.

Her body was curled into a tight ball, somersaulting through the air, as if it were a natural occurrence.

John winced as she untwisted her body, planting her hands on a smooth rock pillar. She vaulted her body upwards, twisting madly in the air. She landed with ease onto a flat plateau; a few hundred meters above the ground.

Johnson landed the Pelican on a small patch of grass, a few trees dispersed in pockets along the rocky cliff side. John rushed out from the ship, racing over to her side. That fall brought back memories of the incident with the ice cliff. To his surprise, she was perfectly fine. She dusted her legs off before walking over to his side.

"I'm surprised you didn't jump after me." She said.

"I don't think my suit's gel layer could take another beating." He said jokingly.

"That's what you get for wearing a coffee tin." She said, her lips drawn into a cheeky smile.

John was going to say something, but he left it alone. Samus started walking in the direction of the twin suns, the immense heat shimmering up in waves above the ground.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Home."

OooooooO

Memories flooded into her head with such speed and force that she winced from the unsuspecting sights that signalled off in her brain. Walking past the barren and deserted flat lands, she could see the remains of a town; her town. The buildings had long since been demolished by means of Pirates or other creatures. The cool desert wind blew through the hollow foundations, whistling past her like a forgotten child hood tune. She bit back tears of anger and sadness as her home came into view. The stone and mud walls were now mere dust, a few piles of rotted limber and crumbled brick still remained. She traced her finger over a large energy burn that had eaten its way into the splintered wood.

OooooooO

"Taking a walk down memory lane?" Johnson snidely remarked.

"Not now." John whispered.

Johnson grumbled something about 'ungrateful swine' before walking off.

John walked over towards Samus's hunched body, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her muscles twitched momentarily, and then she was still.

"Are you alright?" He asked, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"I guess you could say that." She mused. She drew back her hand quickly, "Damn." She hissed.

"What?"

"Splinter." She said quietly in-between aggravated breaths. John watched as she dug her nail into the calloused part of her palm, trying to pry out the cumbersome sliver of wood. John reached down and grasped her hand; palm side up, and cradled it against his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world. He opened his small medical kit, and pulled out a small pair of tweezers. He carefully pinched the steel blades against the small piece of wood, carefully wriggling it out of her skin. He tossed the small annoyance aside, put some ointment on a bandage, and quickly rubbed it onto her hand.

"Thank you..." She muttered, looking up at him with a curious eye. He returned her hand to her, and helped her up to her feet.

"Where to now?" He asked.

"Why not ask Cortana?" Samus said; her eyes planted on the double suns of K-2L. She looked away quickly, rubbing her eyes furiously afterwards.

"I'm picking up a small energy signal to the North East." Cortana informed them, John finding her mechanical raptures to be quite refreshing.

The Arbiter rushed up beside them, his chest puffing out as he sucked in shallow breaths.

"Is something wrong?" Inquired Samus.

"Johnson has reported strange seismic activity; he has pinpointed the location.

"Where is it?" Cortana's voice came out as overly excited. John suppressed the urge to laugh at her inquisitive musings.

"He mentioned something about a graveyard."

As the last word slipped from his mandibles, Samus perked her head up.

"Grave yard, there was never one here before."

"Not after the massacre." The Arbiter said. John gritted his teeth in anger. He could see Samus inwardly fuming, her mouth twitching in various places. The Arbiter looked about, obviously confused at the sudden change in body language.

"Did I say something?" He asked. Samus walked off abruptly, leaving John and the Arbiter in a cloud of dust.

OooooooO

Samus could feel the earth shake beneath her as she walked along the beaten path leading to the old mines. Something caught her eye as she passed by an old dead tree. It was a new pathway; fresh red dust leading the way to a far off square like structure. She followed the path, and gasped.

Rows and rows of tombstones lined the ground, as if they were the dull grey teeth of the earth itself. She walked amongst the erect structures, until she came upon two large graves. She read out the markings, tears forming in her eyes.

"Here lies Rodney John Aran, 2994-3098, Father of the great Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran. May he rest in eternal sleep, and let those remember his great deed, saving those before him."

She skimmed her eyes over to the second tall grave.

"Here lies Virginia Lilith Aran, 3006-3098, Mother of the great Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran. May she rest in eternal bliss, and let those remember the sacrifice she made for her child."

Samus collapsed to the ground, sobs heaving from her body. Her body was slumped over her mother's grave, her fingers tracing over the smooth grooves carved into the granite slab. The suns were beginning to set over the dense wood lands, shrouding the grave yard in an eerie light. Samus curled her body against the tombstone, tears still streaming down her face.

OooooooO

John walked briskly along, following the trail in which Samus had gone on earlier. The suns were beginning to set, the first already sinking beneath the hot desert sands. He could see a strange square like paddock about a mile down from where he was currently standing.

"That must be the graveyard." Cortana said. John nodded, setting off down the steep hill. He could hear soft hiccups as he entered through the small wooden gate.

"That must be Samus." He said quietly. He walked along the hundreds of tombstones, until he spotted two larger ones that towered over the rest. There was Samus, curled up beneath the second of the two.

"Samus, are you alright?" He asked softly. She rose up slowly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Y...Y-yes." She said. John sat down beside her, placing his hand on her thigh. He read the words on both the tombstones, the sinking feeling of empathy swimming in his chest.

"It's going to get pretty cold, here, sit on my lap." He said. She nodded, awkwardly sliding her buttocks onto his upper legs. She leaned against his chest, her head resting perfectly in the small nook of black gel fabric that lined his neck.

"Woah..." John muttered.

"What?"

"Look." He pointed out towards the forest, pointing to a patch of floating bright green lights.

"What are those?" Samus asked.

"Those are earth lights." Cortana said.

"What are they?"

"As the hot suns heat up the forest bog in the day, it rapidly cools down at night, releasing a bioluminescent gas into the air, creating those lights you see now." Cortana said.

The two of them watched in awe and wonder as the lights bobbed gently up, and down against the ground.

"I'm...tired." Samus said quietly, her hot breaths sending shivers down John's spine.

"You rest; I'll wait here for the others."

Samus let out a large yawn, and then she lay still against his chest.

OooooooO

"Our plan is working..." The commander muttered. He watched as the twin suns sank beneath the desert, the cool bog gases glowing madly along the cool forest floor.

"The Dark One is almost fully functioning, sir." A small militia said.

"Good, good...All we have to do now is wait..."


	8. No Alarms and No Surprises

Hey! Want some art for this fanfiction? Check my profile for a link! I drew this picture, so I hope you enjoy!

Holy hell, I truly am sorry for keeping you waiting. I wrote a rough draft of this chapter and sent it to a beta, but they haven't responded in a fritillion years, no offense. I decided to completely re-vamp this chapter and get rid of the horrible, melodramatic ending that I had half assed. Instead, I am going to pour my every ounce of being into this. So, hopefully it comes out alright.

The pre dawn light of the mystic planet shone down in an ethereal light, weaving in and out of the distant forest trees. The glowing bog gasses were soon gone, and slowly disappeared as the two suns of K-2L crowned over the desert mountains in the Far East. The sensuous flickering of the light was enough to bring her out of her sleep.

Samus soon realized that her cheek was jammed into the thick gel layer of his body suit, that small crevasse that was an inch and a half wide from his helmet to his shoulder guards. Last night came flooding into her head quicker than a Metroid on a Marine. Had she acted foolish in front of him by snivelling like a little girl?

You are a little girl.

Her mind was telling her. She shook that out of her head and looked down to the sleeping behemoth slumped against her father's tombstone. Did this hold some sort of significance? She sat on her knees, and looked out to the rising suns of her home planet.

OooooooO

John was awake, but she didn't need to know that. He could hear Cortana humming some song she had learned while onboard the Pelican. Apparently The Arbiter taught it to her.

"You seem happy."

"I love this planet; it's so majestic and calming."

"Does it help that five hundred and four people were killed on this planet?"

"Stop being so sore, John. I think you're protecting her."

"From what?"

"Yourself."

John was utterly confused at Cortana's remark, himself? What did she mean? He found it to be coincidental that he was slumped against her father's tombstone, and that his middle name so happened to be "John." He remained still, hoping that Samus hasn't noticed yet that he had awakened. To his shock, she turned around and looked right into his eyes.

"Are you awake?"

John pulled of an elaborate scheme of outstretching his arms and yawning in an effort to convince her that he was, in fact, just waking up.

"I am now."

"I think we should get going, the others are probably worried." She said in a chilled tone.

"They haven't arrived yet?"

"Not to my knowledge."

John shifted into a more comfortable position. He stared into her large, blue eyes, perplexed by their qualities to suddenly change emotion so quickly.

".....Chief?"

John was startled at her question. It had been a while since she had called him that.

"Yes?"

"When am I going to learn your name?"

John turned his head to the glowing horizon, as if she didn't ask the question at all.

"Are...are you that worried about people knowing who you are?" She inquired.

He didn't answer.

"I was like that too, you know. I didn't want anybody to know who I was. I was so secretive that the Federation had a hard time tracking me down. After a few missions, I soon learned that people would probably find me to be more approachable if they knew that I wasn't just some big hunk of metal that couldn't talk."

Slowly, John turned his head back to meet hers.

"When I'm ready." He said.

She nodded solemnly.

OooooooO

The truth behind the missing members of the crew was behind the smouldering wreckage of the Pelican. The few survivors coughed and spluttered, the intense smoke taking over. If it wasn't for the nature of the attackers, help would have arrived. Being natural salvagers of knowledge, the bug-like creatures had completely ripped the main computer unit out of the dashboard.

"J...Johnson?" The Arbiter said meekly.

Johnson moved weakly under the heavy weight of a piece of the Pelican's hull.

"I'm here." Johnson said. The Arbiter made a confirming noise as he struggled under the rubble of the now destroyed Pelican.

"Are the others..." The Arbiter was cut off as he looked about his surroundings. The smouldering bodies of Johnson's finest Spartans littered the ground.

"Did...they take Cortana?" Johnson asked, sorrow racking in his voice.

"John took her."

OooooooO

John couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong with their whole plan. Why were the Pirates so willing to let them come here without attacking? Why did they want to meet? It all sounded like a giant scam. Too many questions were flooding in his brain to count.

"Chief, don't you think you're over thinking things?" Cortana inquired, her familiar voice filling his brain with an icy chill.

"I don't know...I'm not sure about anything anymore." He said. He over to Samus's sitting figure. She didn't seem to do much of anything. Her eyes were plastered to her mother's gravestone, her lips moving every so often. It was as if she was a stone guardian, blinking with the sands of eternity. He turned his attention back to Cortana.

"Chief...listen...is there anything else you want to talk about?" She asked. John could hear a certain longing in her voice, something he hadn't heard in quite a while.

"Not right now Cortana." He answered quietly. The familiar sensation of the AI was soon gone, and replaced with his own curious silence.

"What are we going to do now?" Samus asked. Her voice was like a snap back into reality for him. It was as if his face had been slapped after being in a bucket of cold water.

"Well, we should start looking for this "Pirate Brigade" for starters." He said. She nodded once, which seemed to take forever.

"Do..do we even have a location?" Samus jumped out of her skin as Cortana flickered to life. John had removed the AI chip from the back of his helmet before Samus had started asking questions.

"I received an encrypted location from the Pirate ship. You know, the first com that came from when we were on the Pelican."Cortana said.

"And?" Samus asked.

"The ship is located beyond the ruins of the old Flouritite mines. The ship is rather large, a dreadnaught to be exact, so it shouldn't be too hard to miss."

"Where are the ruins?" John asked. Samus turned her gaze back to him.

"They are a few miles north of here." Samus concluded.

"Shouldn't we wait for the rest of the crew?" Cortana asked.

John was lost in thought. It was a "stay or go" situation. If they left for the ship, they could risk ambush. If they waited, they could miss their chance. His head was swimming with decisions.

"There's a Warthog on board the Pelican. I'll go back and get the rest of the crew, Samus; I'll leave you with Cortana." He began, "I'll try my best to catch up with you two and we can double back."

"Alright." John took Cortana and put her into Samus's outstretched hand. He closed her fingers around the chip, running a gloved thumb over her knuckles. He walked briskly out of the graveyard, taking one last glance down at Samus before walking back to the Pelican.

OooooooO

"Please...please don't die." Johnson said in-between choked breaths. He cradled the Spartan's limp head in his arms, staring deeply in the chocolate brown eyes of Smith, one of his finest melee assets. The broken glass of his polarized visor was splayed out around his eyes, his pupils deep with dead terror. Johnson reached down, and closed Smith's now soul-less eyes. The Arbiter rested his head in remorse, obviously feeling Johnson's pain. Johnson lay Smith down gently on the dusty ground of the K2-l desert. Johnson returned to the heap of metal which was once the Pelican, and kneeled down beside the next empty husk of a once vibrant killing machine. Unlike Smith, this one's visor was intact. Johnson removed it, and stared down in grief into the eyes of the one female Spartan sent on this mission. Looking down to her number, he recognized her almost instantly.

"209...Sam." Johnson remembered how she hated to be called Samantha, he remembered with a twinge of a sad smile flickering onto his weathered face. He dragged her out from the wreckage and laid her down beside Smith. Johnson searched for the next Spartan, but he couldn't find him.

"Arbiter, where is the other one?"

"There were three when I awoke, Johnson." The Arbiter replied solemnly. Johnson smashed his fist down to the ground in fury.

"Those damned sonsofbitches took my last Spartan!" Johnson spat hysterically, his eyes almost popping out of his head in pure rage.

"Where are you going?" The Arbiter asked.

"I'm finding John, and my last Spartan." Johnson said, slinging an assault rifle over his back.

"Make sure those...things don't come back." The Arbiter nodded, and watched as Johnson walked briskly out into the desert, and soon was out of plain view.

The long trek across the boiling sands was taking its toll on Johnson. The sweat beaded in great pools down his forehead. The twin suns were merciless. The only thing keeping him going was the look in Smith's eyes, which grasped his very soul. He could feel the hot sand burning through the rubber soles of his black military boots. His feet were burnt and blistered, but he would not give up, not for the sake of mankind, no: for the sake of John, Cortana, Samus, The Arbiter and everything else he believed in. He didn't believe in mankind, he believed in what mankind was made up of; the very people who kept it from certain destruction.

Was...was this a mirage? He could see a green blob moving towards him over the hot sands. Could it be?

"Chief? CHIEF?" Yelled Johnson, his eyes wide with hope. He could feel the ground tremble slightly beneath him as the Spartan ran towards him.

"Johnson! What happened? Why are you out here?" Chief asked him.

"I....you have to come back, Chief. Something horrible happened." Johnson watched as Chief's head perked up. Hopefully he wouldn't take the blow too hard.

They walked back to the Pelican in complete silence, the only noise coming from the gusts of sandy wind.

"What the hell happened?" Chief asked. Johnson shook his head as he looked over the bodies in the sand.

"We were attacked by a small group of those crab sonsofbitches. We didn't know what hit us, we were out cold, and then I awoke to...to this." Johnson said.

"Is the Warthog intact?" Chief asked.

"I don't know, Chief. I haven't checked what's left of the Pelican."

Johnson slumped to the ground as he watched Chief tear the Pelican apart. The Arbiter was strutting around, punching things into the remains of a small onboard computer. Johnson watched as hunks of metal went flying, hitting the sands a few meters away with loud thunks and bangs one would only hear from a desert floor.

"Arby!" Chief called out. The Arbiter strode over to Chief, looking down at the man with a curious eye.

"Please don't tell me you want me to fix that."

"You know me too well." Chief said.

OooooooO

Samus was lying on her stomach now, thankful for the cool shade that the tombstones brought her. She looked down to her right hand, remembering the touch of...Chief. She smiled. Maybe this would be a good time to talk with Cortana. She hadn't really gotten to know the machine, or AI, or whatever Cortana happened to be.

"Cortana?" She asked. She flinched as the small, purple woman flickered to life.

"Can I help you?" She asked. Samus was taken aback by her comment. Cortana had a certain 'tone' in her voice.

"I just wanted to talk." Samus said.

"About what?"

"Well...Chief is going to be gone for a while. I...I just want to get to know you better." She said. Cortana let go a huff, and sat down cross legged.

"So...what are you exactly?" Samus asked, "are you a VI...or an AI?"

"If I was a VI, I would have pre-determined information only obtainable by a main database, so I would be a smart-ass holograph."

"I thought that's what you were already?" Samus said. To her utter surprise, Cortana let out a chortle.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"How long have you and Chief been assigned together?" Samus inquired.

"Hmm...I actually don't know."

"I thought you knew everything."

"If I did, we wouldn't be in this situation....ah.....AHH!" Samus watched in confusion as she put a hand on her head, her eyes clamping shut.

"What just happened?"

"Something...bad is happening."

"Where?" Samus asked her eyes ablaze.

"The Pelican...something...." Cortana shook her head, as is she was trying to erase something from her memory. Samus hope it wasn't a Pirate attack. She rested her head on her arms, waiting for the familiar sound of Chief's footsteps.

OooooooO

John watched with tired eyes as Arby banged the last dent out of the now working Warthog.

"She's good to go, Chief." The Arbiter said. John nodded his thanks, and zoomed off into the distance.

As John raced along the desert sands, he couldn't help but feel as if something was watching him. The feeling was eerie, unfamiliar. He tried shaking the feel off, but it persisted. He need to get back to the graveyard, and quickly.

"Samus!" He yelled. He could see her rushing up the hill, her feet sometimes stumbling as she ran towards him.

"Did anything happen? Cortana said she had a bad feeling about the Pelican." John let out a small sigh.

"Everyone besides Johnson and The Arbiter are dead. A small band of Pirates attacked."

"Damn it...Ki Hunters." She said.

"What?"

"Ki Hunters were the original band of Pirates that attacked K-2L. They've lived here ever since, in the caves," She said, her eyes dim "They will take any opportunity to attack, let's hope we don't run into any." Samus finally concluded. John nodded.

Samus clambered onto the back of the warthog, handing Chief Cortana. He pushed the chip back into his helmet.

"Hang on." He said. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his lower waist. He revved the engine, and soon they were off with a loud rumble of the powerful engine.

--

It was a few minutes before they reached the ruins of the old mine. Thanks to Samus's directions, they were now hovering over a sheer cliff face. The sped over a small rock bridge, down a few rock faces, and finally up a niche of dirt and rock. Clearly visible a few hundred meters away was something you don't see every day.

John stared in awe at the massive ship. Cortana stated true to her word, this was definitely a dreadnaught. He slowly eased onward; checking the cliffs and desert sands to make sure no Pirates would jump out and attack. Everything seemed to be in order. The ship easily towered over the cliffs and sand dunes, its massive size would make any small fleet of ships cower in fear. The hull was a deep purple, strange glowing insignias flashing over the surface of the almost every strange groove in the purplish exterior. John parked the Warthog behind a few boulders, just in case the space crabs decided to open fire.

"Well, this is it." Cortana said.

"Odd..I've never seen a Space Pirate ship of this design....wait..." Samus seemed to be in deep thought, "I thought I blew this thing up!" She said.

"What?" John asked. Samus had a reputation for blowing things up.

"On Zebes, I remember a Pirate ship just like this! The Pirates really had no escape, for the tunnels of Chozadia were connected to the ship. I had no idea why, but I continued onwards until I regained my Varia Suit," she looked to the massive hull before continuing, "I blew that ship up a good seven years ago. They must have somehow salvaged the burned remains. I'm guessing they wanted to rebuild it, seeing as it is a pretty impressive ship." She said. John was nodding in between sentences.

"You know, I think Samus has a good point." Cortana said; her voice crackling out of John's com.

"I wasn't really making a point..." Samus said.

"What I mean is, we should infiltrate before handing our selves over to the Pirates."

"You're right. We need to know what we're up against."

"It's decided than, infiltration." Cortana said.

"You still remember all the secret entrances and what not on the ship, right Samus?" John asked.

"I remember." Samus said.


	9. Kathy and Killinger

AN

I know that a lot of people read this fanfiction, and it's ruffling my feathers knowing I don't get a lot of reviews. I find it disrespectful if you read, and not leave a review. It's common knowledge, really. So please, I ask that you please leave a good response to this fanfiction. I do appreciate all the people who do leave me reviews.

I won't write another chapter until I get five reviews on this one. Thanks for reading!

And, I would really, really, REALLY appreciate suggestions as to what Master Chief looks like. I want everyone's opinion. Does he have stuble? Broad jaw, prominent nose, scruffy eyebrows etc.

"What do you mean 'send in the troops!" Commander Killinger half screamed from his seat, and as a result of slamming his fist to the table, his drink rattled uneasily. The flickering picture of Admiral Dane was displayed on a large Admiral's customary green clothing was like a beacon in the dark cockpit he resided in.

"You heard what I said, Killinger. We don't know if the Pirates are forming a full out attack! Samus could be in grave danger for all we know." He quietly. He seemed to stress on the famous bounty hunter's name, as if using it as a threat.

"For all we know, the Pirates could be willing to help." Killinger said rather cooly, the ice cubes in his drink clinked delicately against the crystal glass. Killinger knew he had said the wrong thing, but he didn't care. The Admiral was having a hard time keeping his temper at bay, and Killinger knew it.

"You listen here. If the Pirates do attack and capture Samus, or the Master Chief, I'm blaming this on you." The last phrase got Killinger's attention. His eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Blame me? You're insane." He chortled as he sipped on his drink, wincing as the strong alcohol stung a fleshy cut in his cheek. He must have bitten it while talking.

"Don't take me for a fool, Commander." And with those last few words, The Admiral disappeared from the com screen.

An audible sigh escaped from Killinger's mouth, and it seemed to rattle around the the small room, reminding him of the large task ahead. He swigged the last of his scotch, straightened his blazer, and exited his office. He made the long decent down to the main reception, and asked to speak with Kathy. She was the regular receptionist, and was always willing to help him. He smiled softly as the familiar brunette popped her head out of the transmission room.

"Oh, Hello Tom." She recited over the loud noise of the chattering Elites. She pressed the "door close" button, and waited until the door hissed shut. She trotted over to the large front desk, and propped her elbows up on the glass surface.

"Hi Kathy," Tom began, "I have an urgent message that I need to get to the Elite Council."

"That's not possible, well not today at least." She said.

"What do you mean?" Worry spread over his face. Tom had the feeling that it had something to do with the commotion in the transmission room.

"The Council has been bombarded with large amounts of resignations from the Elite troops."

Tom Killinger's situation just got a whole lot worse.

OooooooO

"Are you sure about this?" Asked Cortana. Her voice sounded on and off, wavering through Chief's polarized helmet.

Samus thought intently, listening to the faint memories that flickered like a tender flame in her brain. She remembered the cold, wet rocks that surrounded the ship all those years ago, and the massive hollow tunnels that connected to the ship. She remembered all the running, climbing and evading she had to do to avoid the wrath of the PIrates.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She said, her voice laced with a faint hint of venom.

"Let's move on then" Chief said. She nodded, and watched as his green body slipped between a small crack of rock. She followed, taking care not to catch her foot against the sharp points that stuck out from the rough edges of the rock. Once or twice she scraped her calves against the obsidian like surface, but it was not enough to scathe the thin, yet durable zero suit. She watched in slight amusement as Chief struggled to slip through a small niche. He seemed to propel himself out, and if his suit wasn't dripping wet, he would have probably been stuck. She quickly followed.

Samus remembered the small air shaft that ran under the dreadnaught, and that led into a small storage room.

A few short minutes were passed as Samus snake-bellied her way up a small slope, Chief a few feet behind her.

"Ouch..."

"Are you okay?" Samus asked.

"You kicked my visor." Chief stated bluntly as he wiped a mud streak off with the back of his hand.

"Oh...sorry." She said. If it wasn't for their friendship, Samus had the feeling that Chief wouldn't have said anything at all. She found it oddly soothing that Cortana hadn't said anything. The small entrance that led into the ship was blocked by a poorly placed sheet of metal. Either the Space Pirates didn't care about intruders, or they wanted to keep the cold out. Samus touched the metal hesitantly, testing its thickness.

"Chief, you do realize that this could be our last moment together." Samus said, half her leg stuck into the air shaft.

"Yeah, I know," He replied "I have an idea." He made a come hither motion, leading her into a corner. The place was dark, dark enough to be mistaken for night. He stepped into the shadow, leaving a very perplexed Samus on the outside of the darkness.

"Stand there." He ordered. Samus could hear the sound of a latch being undone.

"Step forward." She did. She flinched slightly as he grabbed her wrist, bringing the tender bone up to his face. What she felt next utterly surprised her. Instead of the cold, thick glass she normally felt, underneath her gloved fingertips was warm flesh.

"Ch--chief." She muttered quietly. This moment was special, and she was going to savour it.

She ran her hands over his cheeks and jaw. She traced delicate lines around and over his mouth, up his nose and over his eyes. She could feel a small bit of five o'clock shadow under her palms as she rested them on the hollows of his cheeks. From her tender findings, she had the image that Chief had a gruff exterior. His nose had a few curious bumps, and his lips were thin. She ran her free hand through his hair, realizing now that it was short, but scruffy.

"What color are your eyes?" She asked.

"If I was to say your eyes were blue, people would still have to guess." He said, his breath tickling her eyelashes. Although she could not see him, she had the feeling that he was very close. "But for the record, they're brown." What he did next took her by surprise. He tilted his head ever so slightly, until a single ray of sunlight illuminated his left eye and the area around it. She could only see his eyeball and his eyebrow, but by god was he pale.

She was staring her father right in the eye. Was this fate? His iris reminded her so much of her father's, in it's amber, light sand color. A few flecks of dark brown were dotted along his iris, making it even more brilliant. With one swift motion he replaced his helmet, and stepped back into the light of day.

Samus's heart had managed to crack, shatter and cry. She smiled behind his back, her eyes filling with pure joy. This was the first time in a while that she had felt so happy.

----

Whew! I'm sorry about that very short chapter, but I have most of chapter 10 done already, and I'll tell you that it is one hell of a chapter. So please, review!

Also, if you would like to Beta the next chapter for me, please email.


	10. Ancient Memories

As John replaced his helmet onto his head, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of longing from deep beneath his war hardened armor. He watched curiously as Samus wriggled her slender frame into the opening of the Dreadnaught; she was skilled at infiltration, no doubt. He managed to slip in, although not with as much panache as he had hoped. As his feet touched the ground with an alarming thud, he noticed that Samus was now in her suit. She gave him a curt nod before walking towards a blue door near the end of the darkened hallway.

Everything seemed so odd; so ethereal in the ship. It reminded him of a sun-kissed room, but the curtains were blocking the entry of the rays. Everything was cast in a monochromic light, the purple-grey walls lined with odd spheres and ruts that seemed to jut out at odd angles. The floor was lined with a string of red bulbs, casting dim lights at their feet.

"Wow, the Pirates sure are good at decorating." Cortana said suddenly, but inaudible to Samus.

"Mhmm." John replied simply. Cortana was quiet once more as they came closer to the door. Samus shot the door open with her arm canon, something new to John. "Why did you shoot the door?" He asked quietly.

"It's a defensive mechanism, mainly to keep intruders out. The doors are covered in a shield that can only be penetrated with a beam weapon with a specific firing frequency." John nodded, in awe at this strange method of door-opening.

"Does the Federation use this technology?" He asked.

"Yes, but their doors are coded with a different frequency," she began. "And since mechanics, doctors and general crew members aren't allowed weapons, the doors can be opened manually as well." She chuckled. "I remember when I had just joined the Federation as young girl. I was always in awe at the Troopers who could open the doors with out having to press in the code," she laughed once more "they always told us during training, 'only one in a million can become a true Galactic Federation Trooper!' I always thought that that was a ruse to get the kids to try harder, guess they were right."

John let out a tiny chuckle. He remembered his training well, but the memories were not good ones.

"Shit..." Samus profaned as she stepped through the door. John looked around cautiously, wondering what had made her curse. He looked up, only to see three Pirates walking around the levels of the ship that separated them from the next door.

"How high can you jump?" Samus asked.

"Six to ten feet, depending on how much leverage I get." Samus nodded. John watched as she jumped into the air once, and then again. The second jump was achieved from the two vents on her back plate, they must have thrust her into the air. She did a few rotations before landing on the platform above.

John took a few steps back, and ran towards the platform. He ground his right foot into the floor, angled his arms behind him, and pushed himself into the air. He landed a few feet behind Samus.

"Are we going to kill them?" John asked quietly.

"No, Pirates have an alert system in their body that instantly tells every other Pirate on the ship if one of them has been killed," she said. "We'll be sitting ducks if we kill even one of them." John only nodded. "Wait..." She said.

He watched as she pulled herself out of her suit, and rested it against the wall. He was used it disappearing with a flash of bright orange and gold. She pressed a different button on her jump suit this time. The suit she had on now looked like a watered down version of the other one. Instead of the large, spherical shoulder guards, these ones consisted of smooth metal that tapered down to a rounded point. It was also lacking the various green markings and large, spiky knee guards.

"What suit is that?" He asked.

"Power Suit. It was the suit I trained in during my time with the Chozo. I was always told that I was to be awarded the Varia Suit after I finished my training, but I left before then. I later found the suit on my first mission back to Zebes."

John watched as she removed each component of the suit from her body, slowly peeling the armor away. The pile grew until there was nothing left on her body besides her jump suit.

"That should distract them for a while." She said.

"Won't they use the technology against you?" Cortana asked.

"No, the suit will return to my ship after a prolonged period of not being on my body." Samus replied. She replaced her Varia Suit, and fired a few shots towards the Pirates. "Go1" She said. He ran through the door, followed by Samus. She pointed to a small alcove that was shaded from view. They waited a few minutes, and returned to the previous room.

"Pirate free." Cortana said.

"Which room are we supposed the meet the Brigade in?" John asked.

"I'm not sure, probably the room Meta Ridley was in before."

---

"What do you mean the Elite Troops are resigning?" Killinger half yelled to Kathy, the receptionist at "Elite Council Chambers". Kathy pursed her lips before replying.

"The Grunts and few crew members have been filling their heads with nonsense about the Space Pirates."

"I thought these bugs were fearless." Killinger replied.

"Have you seen an Elite Pirate? They have every reason to be afraid," Kathy said. "Yet they have every reason _not _to resign, we need them on the battle field."

"Agreed." Killinger replied. "Any status on Master Chief and that Bounty Hunter?" Kathy chewed on her lip.

"You'll have to talk with Cla'atu in the Squad Com Room. He's keeping an eye on the mission." She said. "Or you can patch in with Admiral Dane." Killinger didn't want to talk with Dane again, after their little fight.

"Alright, thanks doll." He said as he walked off. He watched from the corner of his eye as Kathy twirled her hair and sighed. Killinger took the time to pass through the break room and grab a cup of water before heading up to the fifth floor of the station.

"Cla'atu?" He asked, not knowing which of the Covenant was which.

"Yes?" A voice rumbled from the opposite side of the room. "Ah, Commander Tom Killinger." The voice said.

Tom weaved his way in and out of small computer units until he finally reached the front of the room. He approached the tall figure with hesitation.

"I need to know the status of the current mission." He asked. The voice rumbled.

"I just received word from the Arbiter that the Pelican they were dispatched with has been attacked." Cla'atu began. "Three Spartans were killed, two bodies confirmed and one missing. The Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran, and the Master Chief are now on their way to meet with the Pirate Brigade." Cla'atu turned on his heel to lock eyes with Tom.

"Have you received any news from 117?" He asked.

"No, Cortana is out of contact range."

"I thought--"

"It's the space they're in, it must prohibit the use of her transmitter." Tom nodded.

"Thank you, I'll be back soon." Cla'atu nodded and returned to his position beside the window, his arms tucked behind his back.

Tom sighed as he sank down into his chair. He sipped tenderly at the burning alcohol, boredom soon taking over. Having nothing better to do, he typed in "Samus Aran" into the UN database. Not getting anything, he tried the Federation. Her picture shocked him. He had no idea that she was a woman, Admiral Dane hadn't hinted towards what gender she was, and even her name was remotely unisex. She had startling, in-orangic blue eyes and blonde hair. Her jaw was slender and her mouth small. She was beautiful, well, compared to Kathy at least.

---

Memories of screeching metal and articulate, robotic screams entered her brain as they progressed through the large room. Samus couldn't see anything, or anyone yet as they continued walking. Had the whole thing been a set up? The Pirates would have to be incredibly stupid to pull that off. Finally, a rust coloured light could be seen at the end of the room. As they got closer, she could make out a long table with three beings sitting accordingly. As they approached, Samus's heart nearly sunk to the floor.

A Luminoth, a Bryyonian and a Chozo.

"Hello, Samus." The Chozo said quietly. The Luminoth nodded slowly, perhaps in respect. The Bryyonian gave a terse flick of the neck. She only stared, wide eyed.

"How--"

"As a precaution towards the extinction of my race, I and a few other select Chozo were Cryogenically frozen." As if reading her mind, it replied "we were kept on three separate planets. Tallon lV, Zebes and Elysia. Hidden deep underground in ceremonial chambers, we were to be un-frozen by a bot sent by the Aurora Unit on Elysia."

"What about the Bryyonian? I thought they were long extinct?" She asked.

"As you probably remember, there were many statues depicting our alliance with the Bryyonians on Bryyo. When Bryyo entered the Golden Age of Science, we offered them the technology of cryogenics."

Samus already knew the Luminoth were thriving after Dark Aether was destroyed. Although their race mainly kept to themselves, she wasn't surprised to see it.

"We called upon you for help." The Luminoth said. Its voice sounded oddly female, light and airy compared to the other Luminoth Samus had encountered. "The Pirates have segregated themselves between good and evil, much like light and dark Aether."

"What are they segregating themselves from?" Cortana asked.

"The Covenant and Dark Samus." Samus almost choked on her own breath.

"I killed her; destroyed Phaaze." Samus said.

"Sadly, the Pirates managed to detect her left over Phaazon signature and managed to clone her. She know lays dormant in a phazon crater specially designed for her needs." The Bryyonian said. Samus pondered this for a moment before replying, her mind strictly set on the Chozo.

"Wh--what are the rest of the Chozos' names?" She asked, almost oblivious to the previous comment about Dark Samus.

"I myself am re-named after Grey Voice. They other two are Stone Child and Kitras." Samus instantly knew that any Chozo name that started with a word depicting earth was female.

"Where are they?"

"Elysia." Samus nodded.

"Back to the Pirates..." The Bryyonian said, it's voice filled with annoyance.

"Yes," the Luminoth began "the Pirates that have sided with the Covenant are set on destroying Dark Samus. As for the earlier transmission you received, that was from the other Pirate Brigade; the one siding with Dark Samus."

"Why would they lead us to you instead of them?" Chief suddenly asked.

"Their channels were possibly encrypted, our transmission could have been broadcasted along with the other one."

There was a long pause before the Luminoth said anything.

"U-Mos said to give this to you--when he..."

The Luminoth extended its long, spidery arm and handed Samus a feather like object. She recognized it to be the ear tuft of the male Luminoth.

"He's dead..." Samus said quietly.

"Yes."

The Bryyonian sighed heavily, the Chozo merely sat there, observing.

"Why K2L?" Samus asked.

"We knew this planet holds great significance to you, and you wouldn't pass up the chance to come back." The Chozo said. Samus nodded.

"What's our next course of action?" Chief asked.

"You need to meet with the Commander of the UN Dreadnaught, 'Queequeq'."

"Queeqeug?" Cortana asked.

"Something to do with an ancient Earth story." The Chozo said.

"Who's the Commander?" Asked Samus.

"Tom Killinger."

-----

AN-

IJGILRJLKN;SKLJKNVKWKSDJKNDJKN

I HOPE THAT CHAPTER MADE SOME FUCKING SENSE.

Anywho, I really do hope it's not confusing or anything, I'll explain some things in chapter 11.

OHOHO~ we finally know who this Killinger guy is. As .Shamaylan would say, "WHAT A TWEEEEST!"

READ

AND

REVIEW!!

~Chestnut

((More sexual tension will be released next chapter, along with a shower sceneeeee!))


	11. Enigma

AN

**This is going to be a very, very, **_**very **_**long chapter. **

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!

Also, guess what...............

Dun dun....

I'm making a commmmmic! *insert awesome gasm face* Anywho, I already have half the cover have done, I originally did it in copics and I'm going to scan and tweak in Corel Painter. I should have it up on DA in a few days.

Also, I would really, REALLY appreciate some fanart! I'm planning on making a montage of this fanfic and any fanfart from any chapter/or your favourite part of the story would be very much appreciated! I will also have concept art of what of the fanfic up soon as well, such as what Killinger, Kathy and Cla'atu look like etc. I'll also post my drawings of what I interpret Samus's suit to look like, I imagine to be more of a exoskeleton than a body suit.

That's it for now folks!

Oh, and if you do plan on posting fanart on either DA or somewhere else, link me and I'll credit you!

Thanks!!

**P.S. Thank you all for reading this story! I'm always looking at my story traffic page, and wow! I've gotten a phenomenal amount of hits! And I am happy with the number of heart-felt reviews I've received, it really keeps me going! Again, thank you all!! Also, I will be adding a Q & A segment. If you have any questions, they will be answered to the best of my ability at the bottom of the next chapter. Ciao, and happy reading!**

~Chestnut

----

"We should get back to the Pelican." Chief said. Samus nodded, but she didn't want to leave just yet.

"You go on ahead, I'll meet you outside." He nodded and left, leaving Samus alone with the three beings. "Grey Voice--I--I want to know what happened." She said.

"To the Chozo?" He asked.

"To Bird Grandpa." She replied. He nodded.

"I was instilled this knowledge before I was put to rest from the previous Grey Voice before me. The Chozo Elder you deemed 'Bird Grandpa' went into a state of depression after you left. Although this is rare in our race, there was nothing we could to do to cure his illness."

Samus felt pained.

"He eventually died of a broken heart. But, before he died, he left things behind for you on Tallon IV, confident that you would one day find them." Samus nodded solemnly, her face blank. "Grey Voice left this with me before I was frozen." He handed her a small golden chain. On the end was a golden rune. In Chozo, it read "Hatchling." Samus smiled, fighting to bite back tears. She took her helmet off and slipped it around her neck, struggling to slip it under the tight fibrous layer beneath her armor.

"Thank you." She said. She still had one more question to ask the Luminoth. "U-Mos--How did he, pass away?"

"He died of old age." Samus smiled, at least he died peacefully. She bowed gracefully before leaving, fingering the necklace in her armored hand before returning to the outside world. She spotted Chief sitting on the Warthog.

She removed her Varia suit and sat on the back.

"Let's go." Chief said.

They zoomed out of the rock canyon, and soon were back on the desert sands. Samus could spot a few Ki Hunters in the mountains beside them, but they posed no threat. Chief stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" She asked. Chief sad nothing and got off the advance ATV like Jeep. Samus craned her neck over the bulky framing to see Chief kneeled over a corpse. She instantly recognized the green armor, it was a Spartan. She got of the Warthog and approached.

"Ki Hunters." She said quietly. John nodded. He grabbed the body and gently placed it in the back of the Warthog. They were soon on their way again, no small talk made along the way. Soon they were at the Pelican, Johnson and the Arbiter situated around a small fire.

"Chief!" Johnson yelled. Before Chief replied, Samus watched as he dragged the dead Spartan out from the back of the Warthog. Johnson's expression immediately changed.

"My last Spartan, they stole my last Spartan." Johnson said quietly, a faint growl could be detected in his voice.

---

They sat around the fire for the most part of the night, Johnson still obviously upset over 248; the Spartan he had recovered. Samus was resting against the Pelican, her eyes half lidded. She was twiddling something in her thumbs, and upon further investigation, John recognized it to be the moth like feather she had received from the Dreadnaught. The Arbiter looked over to him.

"When do we depart?" He asked. John didn't answer for a few minutes.

"Whenever the Pelican is repaired." He replied haughtily.

"It is repaired." The Arbiter said. He shot his head up.

"Samus would not be resting against if if it wasn't, the engine heat is keeping her warm."

"We need to find the ship, "Queequeg"." Chief said suddenly.

"What for?"

"To talk to some Commander. Apparently he has information that we need."

There was a long silence between the two before the Arbiter replied.

"We should head back to the base came on Athos." Chief nodded. It would take a few hours to get back to the planet, on a Pelican at least. Although not built for deep-space travel, some recent models had light speed installed.

John walked over to Samus and shook her shoulder softly, she had fallen asleep.

"We're leaving."

"Where to?" She replied sleepily. He smiled.

"Back to base camp." She nodded and managed to heave herself into the inside of the Pelican. John followed, along with the rest of the crew. It took a few minutes for Johnson to fire up the thrusters, but soon they were ascending.

John almost jumped out of his skin as something brushed against his leg. Startled, he realized it was Samus. She had fallen asleep on his lap; yet again.

As the Pelican landed softly on the rain-soaked ground of the planet, Samus was stirred from her slumber. John had to repress a chuckle as she almost fell onto the ground in her dazed state.

"You're can sleep in my room if you wish." John said to her quietly.

"You're not insinuating anything, are you?" She replied, a grin on her face as she rubbed her eyes. He blushed under his helmet.

"No...."

She chuckled. "Thanks, my ship's heating is busted anyways."

They all filed out of the drop-ship, the three Spartans recovered from the wreckage of the Pelican placed in body bags. These were carted out on heli-stretchers, the rest of the crew trailing behind it, except for Johnson, who was situated at the front. The Arbiter made small talk with some of the members of the base camp, they were asking about the mission. Samus curtly brushed off a younger boy who was asking for her autograph.

John pressed his palm to the door scanner, the door to his quarters opening with a hiss. Samus followed through, her eyes focused on the very inviting bed.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" She asked.

"It's fine, go ahead." He said in his warmest tone possible. She smiled. John wondered if she would sleep in her jumpsuit, or if she would slink out of it and sleep naked, like she did in her ship. No, of course not, not with him around. To his surprise, she began unzipping the suit. To his relief, she was wearing a tank-top and panties underneath. His eyes trailed down her supple curves, his gaze soaking in her fleshy mounds. Thank god his visor was polarized. She slipped under the covers, her hand propping the pillow up.

As her breathing became less quickened, John turned up the heat in the cold room. He watched as she mumbled something in her sleep before turning around. He chuckled and went into the bathroom, he was in need of a shower.

---

Samus awoke suddenly to the sound of pouring water. He was showering. She looked out the window, trying to figure out the time. It was pitch black, so that didn't help. She could make a few stars, but no moon. She sighed and sat up. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to find out what he looked like. But by spying on him? She felt so childish and foolish.

_One..._

She took one step towards the bathroom, her eyes affixed on the door.

_Two..._

Another step.

_Three..._

She stared at the door, wide-eyed. Slowly, she opened it, inch by excruciating inch. She left it open just enough so she could make out the details of the bathroom. The water stopped. The shower door opened. To her disappointment, various shadows were blocking the view of his face. She could make out pale skin and muscles, rippling muscles--His back was turned to her as he wrapped a green towel around his waist. She counted various scars and long gashes along his sides and back, from combat perhaps?

She could see some of his hair, sandy brown. She had enough. She slowly closed the door and tiptoed back to the bed.

She was about to fall asleep, when she felt a weight beside her. He was sitting on the bed--her heart was pounding in her chest. He reached out an ungloved hand and began stroking her head, his fingers running through her hair. Her heart began beating faster as he lay down beside her. It was pitch black in the room, so she couldn't make out anything. But it didn't matter, since she was facing away from him. She almost gasped as he snaked a hand under her ribcage, and the other over her shoulder. He softly turned her around, and with one delicate swift movement, he pulled her to his chest.

He was wearing a thin wife beater and boxers, the thought drove Samus mad. She could feel the oddly familiar fabrics against her skin. His hands cupped her shoulders, his chin resting on the top of her head.

She was puzzled at his sudden affection. Could Cortana see them? Or was she busy with other things on the base? Her thoughts were distracted by the expansion of his lungs, and the calming exhale that soon followed. His breathing was so deep, so slow. Her nose was tickled by the scent of subtle after shave, and the smell of clean skin. There was one smell that was almost unnoticeable, perhaps because it was washed off? It was the salty, musky smell of sweat. Samus had a feeling that he must not have a cooling unit in his suit, or his gel layer did not absorb the perspiration. The scents were new to her, and were soothing in a way. Like the smell of your father when you give him an embrace. Although the memories of her childhood were vivid and often terrifying, she always remembered her father smelling of iron and that cologne her mother had bought for him on his birthday. She smiled. Slowly, she drifted into sleep, Chief gripping her tighter.

000

It was early morning by the looks of it. The memories of last night sent a warm tickle to her stomach. But, she was not in the same position as last time. She was sprawled out on top of him. Well, her upper body at least. Her legs were curled beside his, her torso and chest firmly planted on his ribcage. Her head was in the crook of his neck, her arms folded underneath her. She began to quickly roll away, but strong arms shot out and held her in place. He muttered something under his breath in his sleep,

"Warm--"

She smiled thinly. Although the pre-dawn light illuminated some parts of the room, his face still was concealed in shadow. She slowly, and carefully reached a hand up and planted it tenderly on his cheek. She was expecting him to feel cold, like his pale appearance. But he was warm to the touch. She relished in this fact, and soon fell asleep once more.

----

John awoke to the feeling of something on his face. Immediately mistaking it for a spider or a bug of some sort, he brought his free hand up to swat the annoyance away. But just as his hand made contact with whatever it was on his face, his fingers connected with warm flesh. It was Samus's hand. He realized that he was gripping her rather tightly against his chest. Hoping he wasn't causing her any discomfort, he released her. She slumped over onto her side, the small of her back attaching itself to his hip.

It was now light enough to light up any features of his face and the likes. He didn't want her to see his face; not yet. He skillfully slid off the bed, making sure she was still asleep. His armor was heaping mess in the bathroom. Sighing, he slipped himself into the thick gel-layer jumpsuit, and began attaching his armor. With his helmet now on, he re-entered the room.

"Chief."

Cortana said suddenly.

"Where were you?" He asked rather non-chalantly.

"I was with the Arbiter," she began. "We were planning on how to get to the 'Queequeg."

John nodded.

000

It had been a few hours before both the Pelican and Samus's ship docked on the large Dreadnaught. John watched as Samus emerged from the top of her ship, her Varia Suit gleaming in the artificial light. Both their gazes were averted as the large door situated at the front of the ship hissed open, revealing three figures.

Chief recognized an Elite and another Spartan, and a man clad in Military attire. His hair fell halfway to his ears, the colour a deep brown. His steely eyes were cold and harsh, his face muscles pulling them to a squint. This must be Killinger. His hands were wrapped around his back, and as he approached, he had an air of arrogance. He quickly stuck out his hand to first Johnson, the Arbiter, and then John. As he dropped his hand back down to his side, John watched as Samus leapt from her ship. She must have gotten at least fifteen feet of air before she landed a few meters away from the Arbiter.

Killinger remarked her with his gaze before saying anything.

"Hmm, a new suit design for your squad?" Killinger said to Johnson, his eyes still affixed on Samus.

"No, commander--that is Samus Aran." Johnson said gruffly. Killinger seemed taken aback as Samus walked over to John's side. He narrowed his eyes before talking once more.

"I want all of you well rested before we meet in the command room, understood?" He said. They all nodded except for Samus, who's stare was cold. Killinger turned on his heel and left, the Spartan and the Elite followed. Samus stared at the group passing through the door before returning her gaze.

"Killinger has assigned us all rooms to stay in." Cortana said.

"In the brig?" Samus asked.

"No, surprisingly, the rooms are close to the Commander's quarters." John watched as Samus nodded tersely.

The group walked through the large docking bay door, and continued through the large, almost grandeur hallway. Samus slowed down her walking, her eyes locked onto something, or someone walking in the hallway ahead of them.

"Are those a group of Spartans?" She asked quietly, "they look almost Federation-like." She said.

John squinted his eyes and looked up ahead.

"No, they're not Spartan." Samus nodded. As they got closer, Samus instantly recognized them to be the surviving Demolition Troopers from the Federation invasion on the Pirate Home-world. As Samus and the rest of the group, now short Johnson, who sought out a place to smoke, neared the Troopers, they seemed to Recognize Samus.

"Hey, hey! It's Samus!" One called out, waving his hand and standing on the balls of his feet. One of the older, presumably more experienced Troopers put his hand on the others shoulder and drew him back. As if appearing sightly embarrassed, the younger one sunk into the back of the group of Demolition Troopers. The older one began walking towards Samus.

"Long time no see, eh?" He said, his eastern American Earth accent cutting through his words. Samus nodded and shook his hand, her eyes smiling behind her visor. "I see 'youse has dropped your PED suit, this one is more swanky, if I do say so myself." John watched as Samus puffed out her chest, her sign of laughing. "And who might this be?" He asked slyly, looking over to John.

"Master Chief Petty Officer, 117." John stuck out his hand, shaking the Demolition Troopers. John felt slightly dwarfed compared to the Trooper. Although he stood at 7.2 feet with his armor, the Trooper was at least a few inches taller than him.

"Youse should join us for dinner, 7:00 o'clock." With that he turned around and joined the other Troopers. The younger one from before turned around and waved to the group shyly before running to catch up with the rest of the Troopers.

"So--What do these Troopers do?" John asked Samus.

"They're Demolition troopers, armed with heavy explosives. They can take down even the toughest, most guarded doors. Their armor is weaker, although I think the Federation has changed this."

"How can you tell?" Cortana asked suddenly.

"There armor used to be a metallic grey-yellow. Now it's more red." Samus's garbled voice transmitted through her visor. One question was still running through John's head.

"If the Chozo were so technologically advanced, why did your suit not have speech capabilities?" He asked. Samus pondered this.

"The Chozo valued body language over verbalization." John nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to retort seeing as her answer was almost a rhetorical question; reply, and appear foolish.

----

The group had disbanded sometime ago. Chief had gone to the gunnery to pass the time, Johnson was probably in the lounge smoking, and the...well, she didn't know just what the Arbiter had an interest in. She had a seen a reception desk for "Elite Council". Perhaps he was in there. She remembered the receptionist; pretty young thing. She had black, shoulder length hair and warm amber eyes. She regarded Samus with a quick glance before returning her gaze to the computer. Samus was puzzled at her expression, she wasn't in her Varia Suit, did she appear threatening without her suit? Samus shook her head and turned down the hallway.

She stopped.

Expecting the hallway leading to the Commander's Quarters to be grand and magnificent, she was caught of guard as her thigh smacked into some strange, metal device planted on the wall. Causing enough noise from the collision to alert the whole crew, she silently seethed and placed a hand on her assaulted leg. As the throbbing ceased, her eyes adjusted to the strange lighting. The hallway was long, perhaps sixty feet. Six silver doors lined the hall, although they appeared almost black in the dim light, the only given feature was the iridescent silver from the reflection. She could see door at the end, an odd; almost ambient light escaping from cracks in the metal framing. It casted off reflections on the ground, making everything seem a tad more chilling.

She was having a hard time finding the door number leading to her room in this darkness. As she shifted her eyes to the ground, she bumped into something hard, and surprisingly warm. Startled, she fell flat on her ass, her eyes scanning the area around her. There was a deep, rich chuckle.

"My, I am quite sorry." Said the voice, thick like oil. The voice belonged to Killinger. He couldn't see her, and she couldn't see him. Samus gasped, although presumably inaudibly, as he grasped her upper arm and pulled her to her feet. He was stronger than he looked. "I should really be more careful." Bastard was mocking her.

"Oh, it was really...my fault." She said half heartedly. Biting her cheek to restrain herself from putting him in a sleeper hold, Samus knew he would be the only one to help her find her room. She gritted her teeth. "Do you think you could direct me to room 312?" She asked.

"Of course. Why, it's the door right behind you." He said. Samus spun around, realizing the door, oddly enough, was right behind her.

"Thank you." She muttered.

"You're welcome, Miss..."

"Aran."

She opened the door and disappeared inside, locking it behind her. She pressed her ear against the cool steel, listening. Hearing the sound of boots clicking away, Samus sighed. That was one of the most uncomfortable situations in her life.

Her thoughts returned to the room as she stood up. Everything was a cold metallic. The bed, small night stand and table were all off-set white. The bed was large, perhaps a queen size. She sighed and walked over to the main control panel near the bathroom door. She read over the strange, 'UN' technology. Pressing her finger to the shape that looked like a fan, she turned down the heat and turned on the cooling unit. She could never sleep without the sound of rain or wind, she always needed a sound of nature to keep her peaceful. Sitting on the bed, she pulled her hair into a messy chignon at the back of head. She looked over to the clock.

"16:23:00" At least they followed standard Earth time. Although it didn't really matter when you were in space, but it was nice to know if you were staying up too late or the likes. Seeing that she had enough time for a nap, she removed her Zero Suit and slumped down onto the bed.

000

It was sometime before she finally awoke.

"Shit--" She had a good five minutes before dinner. Putting her Zero Suit back on, she ran out the door and sped down the hallway. She could see a lone Spartan walking along.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Ye..."

"Chief! Oh god, sorry! I didn't recognize you." She said. "Are you trying to find the mess hall?"

"Yes, but I'm just as lost as you are." He replied.

"How was the gunnery?"

"Not as grandeur as I expected." He replied, humor leaking from his visor. The two walked along for a short period, exchanging small talk along the way.

000

Dinner was eventful. Killinger was staring her down like a wolf, the various GF Troopers and DT's were nothing _but _civilized, and the Spartans often had to throw the occasional dinner roll at them. Feeling even more warn out than before, Samus made her way back to her room, making sure to avoid the metal obstruction along the way. She turned the heat up a tad before entering the shower, her clothes a heap on the floor. The hot water pouring down her back made her arch her spine in content, almost as a cat would. She briskly washed her hair and face. She stayed in for a few more minutes before she turned the water off and stepped out. Wrapping a towel around herself, she stepped out of the bathroom and into the main room, until her foot stepped upon something. Hissing, she pulled it back, revealing a small computer chip. It looked important. Scanning it with her eyes, it must have belonged to Chief.

He wouldn't mind her slipping into his room--would he? She stealthily stepped out into the hallway, and checked both ways twice before making a mad dash for Chief's door. Not even changing into her Zero Suit. Something caught her eye. It was Killinger.

Before she knew what had hit her, some one had grabbed her wrist and locked the joint, effectively rendering her immobile.

"Since when do you know Judo?" She growled. He disregarded her remark with a snort. She struggled violently against his grip. Even with her altered DNA, he had her at the perfect position. Make a wrong move, and her wrist would be broken. His knee pushed up into her crotch, his pelvis grinding against her buttocks.

"Can't look a woman in the eye, can you." She said. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked back, bringing tears to her eyes. He looked at her briefly before smashing her forehead into the steel wall.

"Bitch..." He retorted.

Samus watched from the corner of her eye as an olive-armored hand shot out and punched him square in the jaw. He tumbled down to the ground, Samus going with him. Chief stood over the both of them, disregarding Killinger and helping her to her feet.

"Thanks." She managed.

"No problem."

---

****If you're going to leave me a review, please don't tell me that what Killinger did wasn't "womanizing." And it most certainly was not rape. Nothing classified as a foreign object entered any one of Samus's orifices against her will. It may seem like Killinger is trying to rape her, but he's not. You'll have to read next chapter and find out what happens. Please read this before leaving me lengthly reviews telling me the difference. I am well aware.****

**Can't...write...anymore...*dies***

**Well, that's all of chapter 11 for now. I hope it was long enough! **

**So Killinger is a womanizer, eh? **

**I hope you all enjoyed the "chief and samus snuggling" thing as much as I enjoyed writing it. Read, and Review! Read read, and Review! *cheer leader music plays***

**LONG CHAPTER IS LOOOOOOOOONG. **


	12. It's Right In front of You

"Chief, is this yours?" Samus asked quietly. He lowered himself onto his haunches and inspected the chip she held her hand. He flipped it over in her palm gently before returning his gaze to meet hers.

"No," he began, "but it looks like a memory card for a computer or camera."

"I was thinking that too." She replied, eyeing the chip curiously. She closed her hand around the square object.

His gaze returned to the hunched figure of Killinger. His nose was bleeding profusely; he was surprised he had even survived. A punch from a Spartan could kill a brute. His fist must have just grazed him, enough to still do some serious damage.

He watched as Samus ruffled her hair, her fingers still moist. "I'm going to go to the gunnery; need to blow off some steam." He watched as she pushed herself from the ground, "make sure he doesn't go anywhere." She said as she disappears into her room.

"What am I going to do with you?" John mumbled, his head now turned to face Killinger. The Commander let out a blood-gurgling moan and pawed at the air momentarily, before finally resting his hand down in still peace. John looked to the accumulated drops of water making a trail towards Samus's door. He smiled.

After quickly propping Killinger up against the wall, Samus emerged fully garbed in her armor. Her eerie, green visor glowed enigmatically as she walked past.

Maybe he could blow off some steam too, and by that, he meant a good, stiff drink.

----

"Damn, Samus, you've hit every target!" The young Demolition Trooper exclaimed. She liked him, he was always awkward and willing to make conversation. Removing her helmet to wipe the sweat from her brow, she decided to leave it off. It was too damn hot in the gunnery, or perhaps her cooling unit needed some repair. Whichever it was, she was boiling.

"Your turn." She said to the DT, whose name she didn't know; yet. "Hey, kid, what's your name?" She asked as he picked up his standard-issued Marine assault-rifle.

"Kid?" He retorted, his shots almost hitting the targets.

She laughed, "I had to protect your ass back on the Pirate Homeworld."

"Yeah, well, we're not very-well trained for combat situations," he managed to hit the target furthest away from him, "we make things go 'BOOM'!"

She laughed again.

"It's Dave," one more target down, "but the guys call me Super Dave."

"What's so _super _about you?" She challenged.

He dropped his weapon on the floor, picked up his water bottle, and removed his helmet. He plunked himself down beside Samus, his mouth spread back to reveal a wide grin.

"I was the only one in DT-Training who didn't blow anything up they weren't supposed to; I was the 'go to' guy for missions."

She could see him eyeing up her arm cannon.

"Want to try it out?" She asked.

The way his eyes lit up made her smile. She unlocked the clamps holding the gun in place and removed her fingers from the trigger-holder. She dropped it onto his lap.

"Holy Christ, this thing is heavy!" He exclaimed.

"Wait!" She exclaimed as he almost slipped his hand in the open-cavity. Typing in the codes so the gun would register his DNA, she slipped the cannon over his right forearm. The normal 'sucking' noise of the clamps could be heard as they attached onto his armor. "The normal beam-trigger is used with your fore-finger," he had to use his other arm to support the gun as he fired. "Spread your fingers apart," she instructed.

The gun's mechanics opened up, revealing the wave-beam. "Always shoot with your trigger-finger, the only thing that moves is your hand position." Again, he fired.

"Oooo--this one is neat!" He exclaimed.

"Fold your middle and ring finger towards your wrist."

Again, the cannon opened-up, revealing the ice-beam.

After he had exhausted himself with the heavy weapon, he removed his arm.

"Thanks, Samus." He said, placing the gun on her lap.

"Welcome," she replied.

Damn, she was thirsty. She remembered Johnson telling her about the lounge he had visited, Chora's Den, or something.

"Hey, uh--Super Dave, care to join me for a drink?" She asked.

"Sorry, I don't handle my liquor well." He said with a small smile.

He was cute, she had to admit.

OooO

The lounge, in question, was radiating with ambience and the smell of cologne. No doubt the men here were military officers, or business men trying to strike a deal. Soft jazz was quietly playing through-out the room, and in the smoker's lounge, she noticed.

Samus hoisted herself up onto one of the barstools. She inspected the counter, the walls, and the bar-tender before ordering--even in her state of semi-skepticism.

"Whiskey sour, huge."

The man beside her chuckled. How could she have not noticed him? She shrugged it off and waited for her drink. The man--in question--didn't look like he belonged on a Dreadnaught. A pair of raggedy, old jeans rested on his lower body. A loose-fitting, olive coloured dress shirt was messily tucked into his pants. His head was hung low, his eyes affixed on the television in the corner.

The bar-tender, who was an older looking gentlemen, slid her drink towards her. She flipped him a credit. He nodded his thanks and returned to wiping down the counter.

"Whiskey sour, huh?" The man beside her asked. He was still watching the screen. She nodded, but stopped mid-way, upon realizing he probably couldn't see the action.

He took a swig of his drink. She could make out brown eyes for a split-second, but his features remained hidden. Was he socially awkward? He seemed to be very keen on hiding is appearance. She scratched at her knee and took a tentative sip of her drink.

It's been a while since she tasted authentic, Earth bourbon.

"I was surprised too," the man said quietly "authentic whiskey is rare these days."

His voice was gruff, but quiet, seeing as he was right beside her. It sounded oddly familiar, but then again, it was just a voice--she had listened to quite a few of those in her time.

"I'm John, by the way."

------

**AN - **I know this was a short chapter, but I thought I would give you a little taste before the biggy, which will be chapter 13.

Hohoho, what will happen next? There will be a big plot advancement, so don't worry!

Also, it will be a while before Samus pieces everything together.

TRIVIA - Tell me what game 'Chora's Den' belongs to.

~ Chestnut


	13. Sleeping Sickness

**AN - **Well, here it is, another chapter! Sorry it took so long, guys. I'll be updating more quickly, I promise!

As usual, your comments and reviews are much appreciated. Have suggestions as to how and when Chief should reveal himself to Samus? I'd love to hear it!

-Chestnut.

* * *

_I awoke_

_Only to find my lungs empty_

_And through the night_

_So it seems I'm not breathing_

_And now my dreams are nothing like they were meant to be_

_And I'm breaking down, I think I'm breaking down._

_

* * *

_

This wasn't going well at all. After getting out of the infirmary for a dislocated jaw, Killinger had to resign his duties for a day for 'sexual harassment'. This was bullshit. A whole, stinking pile of it. He grumbled and poured himself another drink; cold and stiff, just the way he liked it. His jaw tensed as he thought about the previous hours behind him.

000

She watched with keen eyes as the man, know rightfully dubbed John, slid off the barstool and quickly made a dash for the exit. From what she could see, he had a well-toned body; but it was more the body she'd seen from people who spend their times on the street, the lean, fit type who can easily scale chain-link fences. She turned to the bar tender.

'Does he come here often?' She asked.

'First time I've seen him around here,' he answered, a wet cloth stuck into the depths of a pint as he cleaned it. Samus tapped her fingers against the table-top. Something was on the tip of her tongue and she couldn't reach it; something telling her there was more to that man than she could physically see. The bounty hunter uncrossed her legs and thanked the bar-keep before she made her way for the door, pushing the odd patron gently out of the way as she strutted down the light-entrenched floor. She checked over her should only to see a few passing women and marines. To her left, she could only see a dark hallway that led to the lifts. Perhaps he had gone down that way.

The hallways were unnerving on this ship, mind you she had been in some pretty unnerving places before. _Too metal and claustrophobic, _she thought.

The elevator in front of her was in use, deck 125 to be exact. _That's five decks above, he must be going to the barracks. _Samus pushed the down button and patiently waited for the next lift to arrive. When a 'whoosh' of air sounded the elevators arrival, she stepped inside and pushed for the 'door close' button. She had to know who John was; it was vital.

When the doors opened with a reassuring rush of air, she quickly walked down the hall, her eyes searching for the taller body of the man. A sense of deja-vu struck her as she looked down to the floor. It was where that bastard Killinger had pinned her down; she was grateful that Chief packed a punch.

'Samus?'

She nearly jumped from the sudden calling of her name. She wasn't used to hearing it. The bounty hunter turned on her heels and was met with the flickering image of Cortana.

'What are you doing there?'

Her tiny indigo body glowed faintly as she sat.

'I'm in the ship's auxiliary system, Chief usually does that when he's out of-'

'Out of what?'

'-his suit. He's showering,' she lied. Samus nodded curtly.

'When will he be out?' She questioned, her foot tapping on the solid ground in slight annoyance.

'Five minutes, probably.' Samus nodded and thanked the AI before returning to her room.

Cold, dark, secluded, just the reclusive atmosphere she liked. Seeking the coolness of her bed, she smoothed the sheets down and sat, her legs drawn to her chest as she checked the datapad provided with the room.

_-2 Unread Messages-_

She touched the little envelope with the pad of her finger.

_Message 1:_

_To: Galactic Federation User 13576_

_From: UNSC SPARTAN 117_

_Subject: Interogation_

_Message: The Arbiter is holding Killinger in room 207. Meet me there for the interrogation in five minutes. _

Samus scratched her knee and checked the next message.

_Message 2:_

_To: Galactic Federation User 13576_

_From: _

_Subject: UR 2 SMALL_

_Message: u cant please girls in bed! u need Morlan's new enhancement products! completely safe and effective for use! (not authorized in Government space). come by Morlan's for the full range of products!_

_*_delete*

Didn't she have a spam filter? She punched in room 207 into the map locator. It was Conferance Room 2, one deck below her. She changed out of her casual clothing and dawned her Zero Suit, making sure her pistol was at her side.

'Come on,' she grumbled as her finger graced the screen of the elevator's panel. Why was it so slow? Samus crossed her arms while she waited; it wouldn't take long, hopefully. But as she stood there, more thoughts began to grow in her head. Why did he want to see her in a conference room? Chief didn't specify why, which she found odd; was it something to do with their current mission? Wait, what _was _their current mission? They boarded the ship - what comes after that? Perhaps that's why he wanted to talk.

The door opened with a confirming hiss as she entered the conference room. As she had imagined, Chief was standing idly by the wall, both hands at his sides. Two marines and a SPARTAN were standing a few feet beside him, and she was sure there was a Federation Trooper in the mix. A faint smile graced her face as she spotted Super Dave. The smile was soon gone, however, when Killinger made himself present at the head of the long table. Admiral Dane, a long with a non-Federation official, were seated on other side of the man. Samus walked over to Chief.

'What's going on?' She asked.

'They're interrogating Killinger.'

She nodded. Admiral Dane took a sip of his water before addressing the group.

'I would like to inform you all that Tom Killinger is an informant, a 'spy' if you will, for the Federation and UNSC both.'

'What?' Samus asked, her voice low.

'He is gathering intel on the segregated covenant and pirates.'

'He attacked me.' Her eyes were drawn in accusing slits.

'That is true, and was _not _a part of his duties, and therefore his previous actions will be met with punishment,' the UNSC official said.

'What exactly does he do?' The SPARTAN in the yellow armor asked. Super Dave nodded in agreement.

'Once he's done collecting information, he sends reports back to us so we can further better our fight against the remaining pockets of resistance.'

'The Prophets are dead, why are the grunts and brutes still interested in their message?' Chief asked.

'We don't know, they probably want to carry on what the High Prophets started.'

'What about the pirates, they're not organized when it comes to leaders, that's what makes them so dangerous,' Samus commented.

'With Dark Samus newly cloned, the pirates who still think she's their leader want to eradicate those who oppose her message.'

The room was ablaze with conversation, but Samus stood their, her ears closed to the squabbling of the Admiral Dane and the UNSC official.

'-Absolutely not! I'm not going to risk my fleet and Samus to the pirates who claim they want to 'help'.'

'The rebellion group is only a few systems away, near Valhalla, they've confirmed they want to be peaceful; they seem...enlightened, even.'

'Enlightened? You can kiss your goddamn ships good-bye, then.'

', we're aware of what the pirates are capable of, but one of our squadrons has met with them and they were peaceful; if they meant any harm they would have attacked already.'

Samus tersely flicked her head in aggravation.

'Master Chief, SPARTAN Griff, Trooper Dave, and Samus will be dispatched to the Valhalla system tomorrow; it's our only hope in fighting the resistance.'

'Why the SPARTAN and Demolition Trooper?' Samus asked.

'It would be wise to have both a UNSC and Federation member to go with you, incase anything goes wrong.'

'I've blown up planets on my-'

'We're aware. For now it's the best option.' The UNSC official said.

Samus lowered her head momentairly.

'The location of the pirate brigade has been uploaded into your HUBs. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock you'll be dispatched.'

000

Chief awoke in a daze. _Shit, where am I? _He rubbed his eyes-wait...eyes? Frantically, John patted his cheeks. Where was his helmet? Hurriedly he grabbed the air beside him, searching for the orange visor.

'John, you've got to get used to sleeping out of your Mark VI.' Cortana's small figure floated idly on the nightstand. Relieved, he slumped back down onto the bed and sighed. With more vigor than before, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at the time.

Six forty.

Cursing under his breath, John stumbled from his bunk and quickly zipped up his gel-layer and attached the rest of the green armor. He grabbed Cortana and his helmet, and was out the door.

'Aren't you going to eat?' Cortana asked.

'No time,' he replied.

'Just grab a piece of toast from the mess-'

'No. Time.' He repeated.

Cortana fell silent. His normal walking pace was soon a brisk jog as he rounded the corner leading to the elevator. Once in the loading bay, he could see the glimmer of the ships from where they originally boarded. Zooming in, he could see Samus standing idly beside her ship, the young Demolition Trooper making wild hand gestures as if telling an elaborate story. Griff was sitting on a crate beside the Pelican, and Johnson and the Arbiter were occupied with some form of conversation.

'Hey! It's Master Chief!' The Demolition Trooper-was it Dave?-ran towards him and cocked a hand on his hip. 'I can't wait to go on a mission with you...sir!' John nodded his head slightly; why couldn't the older Trooper come along? He looked over the Trooper's shoulder, Samus was still standing, her fingers occupied with her arm cannon.

'Samus, tell the Chief about that one time on the pirate home-world where you protected all twelve of us Troopers!' Dave exclaimed excitedly.

She waved him away with her arm cannon.

'Well, there were pirates everywhere shooting at us, and we had to get these large doors opened, so Samus helped us by taking care of every pirate, man, it was awesome-'

His babbling sentence was cut short as John walked past him and stood beside Samus.

'He's a good kid, just...excited. About everything.' Samus' warped voice said.

'Hey, Samus, are we taking your ship? Oh man that would be so cool! Me, Dave the Demolition Trooper, inside the legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran's Hunter Class Gunship!'

She chuckled.

'Are we taking your ship?' John asked quietly.

'It can only fit two people, so no.'

Johnson and the Arbiter both approached.

'It would be more practical to take both Samus' ship and perhaps a Phantom, if something goes wrong, we can rely on the other ship.' The Arbiter clicked his mandibles shut, his long, thick neck bobbing too and fro as he wavered uneasily on his large feet.

'I'll take Chief,' Samus said.

'Griff and Dave will go with the Arbiter, then,' Johnson replied. John noticed the Demolition Trooper's look of slight disappointment.

The Valhalla System was absolutely breath taking. A nebula of purples, oranges and pinks assaulted his eyes as Samus' ship slowed down from warp.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' Samus inquired, her golden-clad hands fiddling with various instruments on her ship's dashboard.

'Lady, I have located the Pirate Brigade, they are one-hundred kilometers north-east.'

Adam. It was the first time John had heard his voice. He recalled what Samus had said:

_'He was my CO, my mentor if you will. He watched over me when I was training with the GF. He was gruff, harsh, the perfect military mind. He called me 'lady' on missions. Coming from Adam, it sounded dignified, not sarcastic. At the end of briefings, he would say 'any objections, lady?', this was a rhetorical question, denoting our trust.'_

He wondered if she had ever loved him, if a young Samus had ever fallen for his authority and demeanor. She said she had short hair when she was in training, made sense, long hair was not permitted in the military, but she said after she graduated, she stopped giving a damn. He also wondered what guilt she felt after he died for her.

'Chief, I think you're thinking too hard about this.' Cortana's sudden advice almost made him jump; he _must_ have been thinking too hard about it.

_'I guess', _he thought.

'The Arbiter sent a message, they'll be here in about two hours. There's a bunk at the back of the ship if you want to rest.'

Sleep, that sounded like a good idea, he didn't get much of that the previous night, not to mention the early awakening.

'Thanks,' he said quietly. She nodded and began talking to Adam, but he couldn't hear her, her voice was quieted over the hum of the engines.

He opened the small door and stepped inside. There was just enough room for a small bed. Sitting down, he removed Cortana and placed her down on the small bed-side table. He looked to his left, only to see an old photo. Small burn marks ran along the sides of the photograph. John picked up the picture with delicate hands and examined it. A smiling, very pregnant looking woman stood there, one hand on her swollen stomach, the other in a man's hand. The woman had a soft face, and large blue eyes. The man had scruffy auburn hair, and brown eyes. Stubble lined his jawline. He turned the photo over, and read the writing on the back.

_Virginia and Rodney Aran_

They were her parents.

'He looks like you, John,' Cortana remarked, smiling pleasantly as her fingers flickered over Rodney's face.

'Yeah...' He gently put the photo back in its place and laid down, resting his head against the soft, but flat pillow.

The sound of the thrusters awoke him from his slumber. Popping Cortana back into his helmet, he exited the small room and made his way to the cockpit.

'There it is,' Samus said, pointing to a large looking frigate.

'Has the Arbiter shown up?' He asked.

'Yes, they're a few clicks behind us.'

He wasn't familiar with the layout of the ship's control panel, but the radar was clearly displayed beside the ship's main controls. He could see a small shape behind the gunship, the serial number of the Phantom labeled underneath in bright blue.

The frigate was unlike anything he had seen before. It had the design of an imploded spiderweb, its frame a mess of bent and twisted metal, and cables ran along the top - he wasn't sure what those were for. What he could only guess to be the loading bay consisted of a flat, sandwhich-like entrance where a few smaller ships lingered.

_'Unidentified vessel, please transmit your loading tags.' _Chief looked up at the crackling image of what he remembered to be a Space Pirate. 'Dock Warden' was labeled underneath its picture.

'Never thought I'd give my landing codes to a Space Pirate,' Samus chuckled.

_'Loading tags identified.'_

The image fizzled out, and the screen returned to its blackened state.

'Lady, what happens after you dock?' Adam asked. Chief was just going to ask the same question.

He could see the green of her visor reflecting off the ship's windshield, and eerily enough, he couldn't see her eyes when he looked for them.

'I don't know, to be honest.' She sighed and punched in a few commands into the ship. The engines hummed quietly, the ship drifting along almost silently. 'We'll have to see what the Pirate Resistance has to offer. That is, if they even have anything to offer.'

He didn't know if she was implying there was a trap waiting for them. After the ordeal in the frozen lab, he didn't want to deal with anymore of those things.

000

She wondered if he had seen the photograph of her parents in her sleeping quarters. She should have put that thing away, but it was too late already. Samus pushed the memories aside before they could cause her anymore damage.

'Let's go.' She stepped onto the glowing platform, and descended onto the loading bay floor. Chief quickly followed.

A few Space Pirates lingered by the doors, some clicking and chiming to themselves as she approached.

(_...The Hunter...)_

_(...Galactic Warrior...)_

_(...What is she doing here?...)_

She could hear their mindless squabbling droning inside of her helmet. They scampered off as she looked in their direction. The Pirate she recognized from the screen, the Dock Warden, was approaching.

The Warden towered over her, eyes concealed behind some sort of organic plating. It's form was muscular, but lithe, a normal Space Pirate physique used for scaling walls.

'Hunter.' It bowed its head momentairly before turning its attention towards Chief. It nodded curtly and abruptly turned on its heels. 'The Council will seek an audience with you in a few hours, but before that time a room has been prepared for the both of you. I suggest you replenish your energy.'

Chief looked her way, and she returned the glance.

'I will keep a com-link up incase you need anything.'

The Pirate punched in a few codes into a door, and led them through a small hallway lined with doors. It was almost too dark to see where she was going. The Warden stopped at the second-to last door, its 'hands' resting behind its back as Samus cautiously entered the small room. The Pirate bowed its head and left, leaving both Samus and Chief alone.

'Sure is..._cozy._' Cortana said. 'Looks like the Arbiter and the rest of the gang have arrived.'

Samus, from the corner of her eye, watched as the purple woman floated out from the chip in Chief's hand.

'I'm going to go through the ship's sytems; see what we're dealing with here.' Before Samus could even blink, Cortana had disappeared, leaving only Chief and herself behind.

Samus found herself wondering when Chief was going to reveal himself to her; when she was going to be able to see past the green armor. She had already seen a glimpse of his eye, but she wanted more than that. She wanted to know who she was pining over.

With a flash of light, her suit was gone. She adjusted the gun holster around her leg and looked up at Chief, wondering what he was thinking. Why did he have to have a polarized visor?

There was a door on the far side of the wall, and due to the low light, she didn't notice it at first. Did it lead to a bathroom?

'Where are you going?' Samus asked, watching as Chief began walking towards the door.

'Shower,' he replied quietly.

The bounty hunter quirked and eyebrow, and remembered what Cortana had told her earlier.

_'I'm in the ship's auxiliary system, Chief usually does that when he's out of-'_

_'Out of what?'_

_'-his suit. He's showering...'_

Perhaps he just needed to relax, or something similar, but she teased him.

'You get dirty fast.'

Before he had a chance to enter the room, he stopped and turned to look at her. He didn't say anything, and she wondered if she had possibly struck a nerve. _Highly unlikely, _she thought.

'Why do you say that?'

Samus uncrossed her legs and gave him a short chuckle.

'I was looking for you yesterday, on the ship, and Cortana told me you were showering.'

Chief briefly rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled.

'Can you blame me? I'm stuck in this damn suit almost all day.'

_Almost all day..._

She merely smiled at him, and watched as he disappeared into the bathroom. She wondered if his suit could dissimilate from his body. Probably not.

000

He wondered why Cortana told Samus he was taking a shower. What questions was she asking, and why did Cortana lie? He remembered the feeling of the jeans and the shirt, a rare feeling he almost never got the chance to experience. He wasn't expecting Samus to be at the bar.

The bathroom was simple, and judging by the size and simple layout, he guessed it wasn't made for humans. There was a small washing basin, and a polished steel circle which resembled a crude mirror.

John's face always startled him. Ghastly white, scars and five'o clock shadow lining his jaw. His eyes looked tired; dreadfully tired, he thought. He brushed a hand through his sandy-brown hair and sighed. He wondered what Samus would see in him.

After showering, he remained out of his suit and quietly opened the door. Samus was lying on her side, facing away from him. The room was exceptionally dark, but he could see well enough with his enhanced eyes.

He laid down beside her, gently pulling her close and letting her body naturally rest into his own. He burried his face in the back of her neck, gently nudging his nose into her hair, and inhaled her scent. John wanted to savour these brief moments he had with her, where he was out of his suit, and where he could feel her hair against his face, and feel her smooth skin against his own.

_It wouldn't be so hard if you just let her see you out of your damn suit, _he mentally chided.

He desperately wanted to, but he was afraid. Scared that she would reject him, that she would find his deathly pale skin and freckles unattractive. For now he would remain secretly spooning her. He chuckled softly.

John snuggly wrapped his arm around her ribcage, his other hand resting on his own side. She stirred momentairly, but was still again. She muttered something incoherent, and he smiled.

Soon, he too drifted off into sleep.

* * *

_Someone come and, someone come and save my life_

_Maybe I'll sleep when I am dead_

_But now it's like the night is taking sides_

_With all the worries that occupy the back of my mind_

_Could it be this misery will suffice?_


	14. Author's Note

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't given up on this story. I'm currently in the process of re-writing the entire story, because I don't really like how some things transpired and the way I'm portraying Samus. I think my writing has definately improved over the years as well, and I want to make this the best story possible!

Don't worry, you'll get your fix soon!

Thank You so much for your support and patience.

-Chestnut.


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